You're My First Last Resort
by Viki Carter
Summary: Draco's heard some bad news; and there's only more than half the world that can help him, but who will he chose? There's only one person that springs to mind when he hears the word "muggle".
1. Chapter 1

Hermione woke abruptly as a loud crack issued from every wall from the house; echoing through the silent night and riccoshaing into her ears as she lay asleep on her side, the covers up to her neck. Quickly rubbing her eyes fully, she pushed herself up and grabbed her wand off the bedside table to see a sight that would forever stay in her memory.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" The woman yelled at the top of her lungs, thrusting the covers up higher as she stared, transfixed at the dark figure of Draco Malfoy that stood at the end of her bed.

"I-I need-" Draco stumbled out the words but Hermione cut him off, screaming with confusion and anger as she pointed her wand at him.

"GET OUT OF MY BEDROOM! GET OUT!" She stood up and strode towards him, her wand pointing threateningly at his heart as he took several blind strides backwards away from Hermione; her bushy hair even wilder after sleeping.

"Granger I-" Draco's words couldn't be heard behind Hermione's continuing shouts for him to get out of her house. Draco grabbed the sides of the banister as he was pushed backwards towards the stairs. "Granger. Please, calm down. Listen to me!" Malfoy pleaded, trying to get the woman to stop pushing him to his death.

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Hermione screeched, her voice cracking slightly under the strain.

"Gr-Hermione. I need...I need your help." Draco stumbled out, looking both embarrassed and terrified; it couldn't help but remind Hermione of when she'd save his and Goyle's life in a fire some five years previously, his expression now was almost symmetrical.  
>"No, you don't." Hermione snarled out, stepping backwards in order to allow Draco to straighten himself before he fell down the stairs. She did not want a court case on her hands.<br>"I do. Please, listen to me." He didn't look frightened anymore, he was pleading with her. Hermione nodded her head somberly, there was something behind those cold eyes that suggested maybe it was help he had come to her for.

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><p>Minutes later, Hermione switched on the kitchen light, a dressing gown now wrapped tightly around her, her wand still held loosely in her hand. The woman walked round Draco, who was sitting at the kitchen table, eyeing up the fruit bowl.<p>

"Help yourself," Hermione noted, seeing Malfoy's hungry glances, "want a cup of tea?"

"Please." Draco replied, reaching over for an apple and quickly biting into it after rubbing it on his shirt.

Hermione reached over and switched on the muggle kettle, before doing a double take and turning back to Malfoy, "I think that's the only time I've ever heard you say 'please' in your life." She said, marveled by the phrase coming from his lips.

"Just because you've never heard me say it before doesn't mean I haven't said it. I do know what manners are. Believe it or not." He scowled, setting the apple down in annoyance.

Hermione exhaled a deep and theatrical sign, her hand pressed to her chest for emphasis, "And now we have Malfoy back. Feeling better?" She smirked, turning her attention back to the tea; carefully pocketing her wand in the dressing gown.

"Shut it Granger. I still know how to hex." He growled, showing nothing but anger on his features as he bit into his fruit again noisily. The kitchen was silent between the two, the only sounds coming from the rain coming softly down on the windows, casting a darker shadow into the room as the night shifted away.

"Sorry." Hermione finally admitted, placing a cup of hot liquid in front of the man, who grunted and nodded his head in acceptance. "So, sorry to be so blunt, but what exactly are you doing here?" She asked, sitting down on the chair opposite him, cradling her own mug.

"Well, that's a long story." He replied, raising the steaming mug to his lips. Hermione looked skeptically out of the window, the sky wasn't getting any darker than the murky blue it was, and the rain hammering down on the windows wasn't getting any quieter; she wouldn't be able to get back asleep again, not now.

"We have all night." She smirked, turning back to face him; settling deeper into her chair as he gave an audible sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione listened without really hearing as Draco said the next words. His face was only partially illuminated with the dimming light; and with Hermione sitting this close, her head on her hand as she watched his mouth move up and down, she found herself analysing his face. His lips were slightly chapped and dry, so much so that he kept occasionally licking his lips with his tongue as he spoke, pausing only to drink his tea. His hair was un-kept, and the heavy bags around his lidded eyes suggested a strong lack of sleep; the blonde stubble on his cheeks and around his mouth only highlighting the fact. He looked only a shadow of his former, well kept and tidy self-there was no longer any product in his hair, no porcelain skin, no perfectly sharpen eyebrows. No, everything was out of place, he used to be sharp and bold, now he just looked...tired? Even his baggy, unwashed, clothes suggested that just had no energy anymore. Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he recounted his story.

Draco Malfoy had cancer. She didn't exactly know how to react, so when the quiet but bold words escaped his lips, she only frowned slightly-forcing herself to keep in a sigh of sympathy at the revelation.

He had been told to seek help from muggles; to forget his magic and blood and live the rest of his life as a muggle, where he could get the treatment he needed.

Turns out wizards can't solve everything.

In fact, Draco told Hermione of how long it had taken the healers to find out what was wrong with him. He hadn't been without pain in years. His head woke him up every night, and there was only a certain number of times a man could fall over in the street on completely of his own report without knowing he had to seek help. So he did, and yet no one in St. Mungo's had any idea what was wrong with him. At first they assumed it was some repercussion of The Dark Mark, but no one else had a problem, and then they tried reversing hexes and giving him all sorts potions he couldn't even pronounce that just made it worse, and then they did a test that had been brought in by a muggle born to try out on him. And that proved it. Well, they didn't know what exactly it meant-so they got in a muggle doctor which they had to memory charm afterwards, but they found out in the end. And now there was nothing they could do to help him. Except advise he got help from muggles.

And Granger was his last hope. No one else had time for him, no one else wanted the mess, and as he sat at her kitchen table, draining the dregs of his cold tea and asking for her help, he knew deep down that she wouldn't have him. No room at the inn. Too much to deal with. Not her problem.

There was even something in her eyes when she nodded her head very slowly and said she would help him. The words wouldn't even register as he searched her face, wanting nothing more than for the witch to say no. This was embarrassing for him, and it was obviously embarrassing for her-neither of them could look the other in the eye-so why was she agreeing? Why would /she/ help /him/?

"...I'll do the best I can, at least." Hermione finished nervously, looking him dead in the eye for the first time that night; her stomach quavering slightly as she did so.  
>"Why?" Draco asked timidly, not quite meeting her gaze. He wanted to leave. He needed to get out of there. The pain was coming back with the humiliation and he could feel his face become hotter, and he suddenly realised how desperate he looked and sounded.<br>"Because no matter what's happened in the past, no one deserves to go through anything alone."  
>"I'm not alone!" Draco shouted quickly at his defence; he had heard the words so many times in his own head, but hearing them out loud made all the difference. Yet even he could here the obvious doubt in his own counter argument.<br>"Okay, not alone, but you need someone's help, and if I am the only person on your list left, then I won't throw you out."

In truth he was alone, nobody, not even his family, wanted to know him anymore-a pureblood sentenced to a short life seeking the help from muggles didn't go down particularly well with the only few people he had only ever had in the world. Even his fiancé had left him, his life was a mess, and hearing these words of kindness that were so unusual to here, it was warming, and it took all he could not to grab her with two hands and shove her into a bone crushing hug just there and then, over the table.

His mouth suddenly became very dry as all the air drained out of him, he didn't know what to say. Why was she being so kind? It suddenly dawned on him that he would never have done the same for her if it was the other way around, and he really couldn't accept it. Could he?  
>"I'm sorry it's led to this." Hermione whispered the words into her lap, too afraid to say them out loud-but she needed Malfoy to know she wouldn't tolerate such in-compassion.<br>"I'm sorry I had to ask you." He said, ashamed at how sorry he actually was, it was a lot to deal with-especially from someone who used to hate him.

"What would happen if I didn't help you?" Asked Hermione, looking up at him once more.  
>"What would happen? I don't know really-" Malfoy gulped, letting the question sink in before he carried on with his improvised answer "-I'd probably just be left to die."<br>Instead of any words forming in Hermione's now dry mouth, a little 'o' was formed with her lips, giving her a very sympathetic expression.  
>"Don't look at me like that!" Draco snapped, rounding on the muggleborn with a swift growl as he grabbed tight, with two hands, onto the mug infront of him incase he lashed out at her.<br>"I'm...I'm sorry..." Hermione trailed off, quickly shutting her mouth as she realised how dumb the expression must have looked.

"What are you sorry for?" Draco growled again, turning his head back to the table, where he continued to nurse his mug as something to do with his hands.  
>Hermione's first answer was going to be for looking at him like she was a two year old seeing a friend get a toy taken off them, but as she was about to say so, she realised that wasn't what he meant. His face was contorted now, and although he was turned as fully as he could away from her without actually moving the chair, she could tell that he was in pain-both emotionally and physically. He looked as though he had been slapped as he scrunched up his eyes and have a sharp intake of breath, gently releasing it as he looked up at the ceiling-daring himself not to cry as he tried to get the tears back into his eyes. No use, he quickly turned his chair fully away from her so he was no longer facing the sympathetic mudblood. No one had ever cared before. Why was she doing this?<p>

"I'm-I'm sorry that you've been treated this way. And I'm sorry it's taken you to come to _me_ for help. I'm sorry for having hesitations about helping you. I'm sorry for the fact that you've got some stupid illness when I don't believe you deserve it." Hermione's soft words were whispered only really to herself, but Draco heard them loud and clear, and they made his chest tight and his face hotter as more tears allowed themselves to talk against his will. It was at that moment when he felt a hand on his shoulder, it was only a light touch, but it was the first human touch he had had since he was diagnosed.

Hermione felt his shoulders shake as she squeezed him more tightly, reassuring him that she was there. She was his last resort, his only resort left; and she would have said yes even if she was the first he had turned to. He really didn't deserve to die, not alone like this, yes he had done terrible things but not nearly as bad as he could have done.

"Thankyou." He managed to whimper out as the almost silent sobbing subsided.  
>"What are you saying that for?" Hermione smirked from behind him, squeezing his shoulder one last time before standing up and going over to the counter to pour out some more tea.<br>"Just thankyou for everything." He turned to face her, wiping his nose as he watched her hurry about the kitchen making tea and putting biscuits and some cake onto a plate. The rain had stopped now to only a slight drizzle, and the light was coming up slowly as the night slowly crept into morning.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N: so I've decided I'll aim to update every Monday and Tuesday-not sure how I feel about this chapter so please read and review and keep hopefully still keep with me!

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><p>"Has the famous Draco Malfoy just said 'thankyou' to a mudblood-and meant it?!" Hermione sneered from behind him, a small smirk on her well defined features.<br>"I've changed you know," Draco said defensively, turning quickly in his chair to look at the woman with a smile, before the expression faded and he faced the table again, "This thing I have, knowing your time is running out, it changes you."

The mood darkened considerably, and for some reason, Hermione didn't think a plate of Jammy Dodgers were suitable at the present moment, but placed them on the table in front of Draco anyway, sitting back down on her vacated seat opposite his.  
>"I'm sorry." She said sympathetically, reaching out a hand and placing it on top of Malfoy's own, resting it there for a few seconds before the man sharply pulled his hand away.<br>"I told you I don't want your fucking sympathy!" Draco spat out with audible venom, causing Hermione to frown deeply as she put her hand on the handle of her cup for somewhere to put it; Draco was on his feet now, his chair pushed back as he span out of it, a hand wiping spit from his mouth, looking like he had just been slapped.

"I-I..." Hermione started, but she had no words for the dying man that stood in front of her, pacing her kitchen floor.  
>"I'm not who I was," Draco interrupted, ignoring her, "I'm not that prick I was in Hogwarts, that all changed after my bastard of a father got arrested. And I swear, I'm never going back to how I was; that selfish spoilt brat I was. I used to be cruel, a bully even, especially to you and Potter," Draco was on a tangent now, pacing the hall, his biscuit still in his hand, "I'd have known then, what I know now, well, if I'd have never had called you a 'mudblood' and cursed you every bloody night."<p>

"It's okay." Hermione said softly, meaning it with her whole heart, never in this moment had he looked more vulnerable; biting softly on his Jammy Dodger, his hair even more messy as he ran a hand through it, the light bouncing off his pale and sickly skin.  
>"That's the thing Hermione, it's not okay. It never will be okay," he had stopped pacing now, and had turned full on to look at her dead in the eye, "what I did was inexcusable, I killed Dumbledore, I'll forever have to live with that. I killed the kindest man on earth. I killed the greatest wizard of all time. And I tell you something now Hermione, I killed a part of myself that night. Is been dying for months, but that night finished me off. And trust me, I'm dying right now because of the fucking disease, but it's nothing compared to how I was then. I was sixteen and a murderer. Now I'm twenty-nine and a murderer. I deserve this." Draco's breathing had gone heavy and his words decreasing in volume, but he still stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, chest heaving, with his eyes fixed on Hermione.<p>

The woman herself was finding it hard to think straight; she wasn't exactly sure if she was more surprised that Draco had called her 'Hermione' twice in one sentence, or the fact he blamed himself for Dumbledore's death. She decided the latter was probably the most important right now.

"Why do you blame yourself?" She knew as soon as she said it it was a stupid thing to say, and visibly winced as Draco's eyes turned dark.  
>"Why?" Draco mused with the question, torturing Hermione as he twisted the word with his low voice; "Why Granger, you're supposed to be smart," he spat out, a smirk on his lips as he crept further and further back into the shadow so he was leaning against the kitchen counter, making him look even more menacing as he towered over her, eyes blazing, "Why? Well, let's see, why do I blame myself? Probably because it was me who had the orders, me who disarmed him, me who raised my wand at him, me who looked him in his eyes and saw his pleading. Me who didn't look away." Draco said every word with as much poison as he could muster, and truth be told, it frightened Hermione.<p>

She had almost forgotten this side of him; but right now this was some thing else, he was being deep and open about his thoughts-it sounded to her asif this was the first time he had ever said any of this out loud, and the memory seemed to pain him too as he stared at his hands in disgust-but he was still using his powers of manipulation to make a grown woman feel small in her own home.

But the words hadn't come out with any particular meaning. He was just saying them. Reeling them off as he ticked them off in his head; the reasons why he blamed himself. He hasn't meant to turn on Hermione, had he? It was a simple question; but she was winding him up, she had been all night, she just didn't say the right things. She never said the right things, and now here he was feeling almost bad for snapping repeatedly. Oh well, he'll blame the brain tumour.

* * *

><p>He didn't, of course, but he didn't really feel bad for it either. In truth, he was feeling slightly happy at the fact he was finally getting some of himself back. The part that lashed out and snapped and hurt people. And right then, in that moment, staring up at Hermione's living room ceiling with a blanket badly keeping him warm in the sofa half an hour later, he decided that he would try and get his spark back. No more asking muggles for help; and if he was to have to live with Granger and live her stupid squib life, he'd make sure she knew that even though he had an illness that was slowly and painfully killing him, he wouldn't let it make him any less a Slytherin. Ha, well, that would teach the girl not to be sympathetic towards him.<br>He would start in the morning, first thing.  
>And that was his last thought before he fell gently asleep, right before the image of Hermione sleeping right above him.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Draco woke to the unfamiliar ceiling above him, and it took him a few disorientated moments to realise where he was. Rising from the sofa, he ritually straightened the pillow and blanket and sat back down on it, looking forward at Granger's fire-place as he got himself straight as his brain unclogged, and reality deepened through-along with a splitting headache; one that would have knocked him off balance five months ago, but it was a pain he had gotten used to now, and nothing tablets wouldn't dim.

Swallowing two of the pink painkillers, the objects on the mantelpiece became clearer; there were only three framed images on the shelf above the tall fireplace, as well as an assortment of 'nick-nacks'. The first and largest photo, on the far left, was of Granger, Weasley and Potter all together, taken on a day out somewhere sunny, as they wave at the camera, faces smiling and laughing as the image showed The Ginger saying a remark to Hermione which made her double over and hide her face from the camera. It couldn't have been taken long after they left school, as there was an obvious age difference with the photo Hermione and the Hermione that came in to give him a cup of tea with a curt smile.

The middle photo-as Draco realised after much scrutinising-was an unmoving portrait of Hermione with what must be her parents, Draco was about to ask this theory out loud to the women but she had already vacated the room.

The last photo was another wizard one, showing a field full of happy wedding guests, and then Granger, Weasley, the Girl Weasley, and Potter all moving to the camera and showing off. The younger Weasley was wearing a wedding dress, and Malfoy assumed that by Potter's costume he was the groom. But it wasn't really the happy couple that caught his eye, it was Hermione. Her messy-as he remembered it-brown hair had been neatly pinned back into a bun, with curled strands coming down to shape her face and highlight her solid features. She was wearing only a cheap, thin, red, braidsmade dress-but it looked perfect on her. She looked younger than she did now, but older than the far left photo. Draco swapped his stare from either moving frames as he made sure he was right about an age gap.

"That was Harry and Ginny's wedding a few years ago," coming back into the room silently, Hermione smiled, following Malfoy's gaze to the photograph and picking it up and looking at it herself, a reminiscent smile on her pale lips as she lifted her mug to her mouth and setting the frame back down.  
>Ginny, so that was the name of Weasley's sister-Draco made a mental note to forget it again. Pointless facts like that hurt his head.<br>"How old are you in that one?" Draco was pointing at the picture of her and her parents, and Hermione smiled again as she sat down beside him on the couch, looking at the photograph from afar.  
>"About 19, 20? It was just after The Battle." She didn't say the words with any particular meaning, but the words sunk deep into Draco; it was the first time either of them had spoken about what had happened on May 2nd 1998. It was twelve years ago, but the memory of that year will forever be imprinted in Draco's mind-no brain cancer was going to get rid of that darkness.<p>

The silence was prominent between the two as they both thought about the picture, and what it meant. Draco was staring at her mother; she was actually quite attractive-but nowhere near as much as his own mother. He had almost forgotten that the pair in the still picture were muggles. They looked so...normal. Except for the clothes. His mother wore nicer dresses; and father would never be seen in that...what do they call them? T-Shirts? Draco realised that he would soon have to wear one of them if he were to associate himself with _them_; voicing these thoughts out loud, but without turning to Hermione, he broke the silence:

"I'll need to buy muggle clothes. I've been putting it off for too long, but I just have no idea..." The man trailed off, his eyes bearing into the unmoving eyes of the man in the frame.  
>"We can go today?" Hermione suggested softly, glancing towards Draco nervously, "I'm not in work until this afternoon, but would you be okay here? You can tidy the spare room and sleep in there tonight?" Hermione's voice waved as she thought about the implications of leaving Draco Malfoy in the house on his own, but she had given him her word.<br>And besides, she had spent the rest of the night before lying awake in bed thinking things over; and she never wasted that precious sleep for anything.  
>"Sure." Malfoy shrugged off, knowing that the job was better done sooner than later.<br>"Have you got muggle money?" Hermione inquired suddenly, the thought only just striking her.  
>"Erm...no..." Draco admitted, "I was hoping you would help out with that one too..." And for the first time that morning, the man chanced a quick smile at the woman sitting beside him.<br>The Gryffindor returned the smile and placed her mug to her lips, "Sure." 

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><p>A.N: Yes, I know this was terrible and short and I'm sorry but I wanted to update<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

An hour later and Hermione and Draco were standing outside in the rain, Malfoy holding a big, black umbrella above his head, hardly giving the woman any shelter at all-much to her annoyance. However, being who she was, Hermione denied herself the right to complain as she bit her lip and led the way to the bus stop-however, Draco didn't hold back his moaning;  
>"I don't see why we have to get this public...thing-what was it?" Draco demanded to know the name he had forgotten, his face scrunched up and shoulders hunched as he sulked of the thought of sharing a seat with a muggle.<br>"I've already told you, it's a bus-a form of public transport." Hermione rolled her eyes, they had been through everything muggle-related that Malfoy would ever need to know in the past 60 minutes, but still the man couldn't understand the difference between 5p and a pound; Hermione couldn't get her head around why, all this stuff just came naturally to her-and it was more confusing in the wizard world!  
>"And why can't we just apparate?" Draco asked sarcastically again, for what seemed like the fiftieth time in five minutes.<br>"Because we're going to a busy place, a busy place filled with muggles." Hermione sighed, checking her watch sharply.  
>"But muggles don't see anything, do they." Malfoy snarled, more to himself than to the woman-who had longened her strides and picked up the pace so he was struggling to keep up. Ignoring the ignorant, and somewhat racist, comment, Hermione called to him to hurry up and then abruptly stopped walking when she had reached what looked to Draco as a small hut with no sides.<p>

"Is this the bus?" Draco asked, confused, once he was back at the woman's side. Hermione couldn't help but snigger as she heard the comment,  
>"No, this is the bus stop, where we wait for the bus." Hermione took a sideways step further into the shelter in order to get further from the rain, and Draco followed, looked up to check the roof, and let down the umbrella before handing it back to Hermione.<br>"Thanks." Hermione said shortly, taking the wet umbrella with one hand and checking for muggles before she muttered a drying spell and placed the long object in her small handbag.  
>"Extendable charm?" Commented Draco, impressed, as he motioned towards the bag.<br>"Yeah," Hermione nodded proudly, "don't know where I'd be with it!" She laughed slightly to herself, adjusting the bag further up her arm.  
>"How much is this again then?" Draco frowned as he pulled out the small amount of change Hermione had made him put in the pocket of his suit trousers.<br>"One pound seventy, give him what you have there and you'll get change." The woman said softly, a small smile on her lips as if talking to a child.  
>Draco resented this tone of voice, but the big red vehicle about to crash into their little stand was a bit more distracting.<p>

Taking a giant leap backward as the bus called to a halt just centimetres away from him, Draco gave a startled yelp as the thing opened a set of doors in front of Hermione. The woman turned her head back to him, signalling for him to follow her, as she stepped onto the high machine and showed something to the driver. Walking onto the bus and going straight up to the little man in the box, Draco told him where he was going and gave him the two gold coins in his pocket, holding out his hand boldly to receive the change.

As he turned away from the driver, the vehicle gave a large and noisy jolt away from the pavement; and Draco was forced to grab onto the bars at the side of him as he purposely made his way towards Hermione, who was sitting at the back with her bag on the seat next to her, beckoning him over with her head.  
>A large snarl on his face, Draco reached her with great difficulty as the bus moved in the other direction he was walking, and it took a lot of strength to not fall onto the other people sitting down. Draco didn't think he had it in him to get up again if that were to happen.<br>But, luckily, he was seated beside her before that could happen, and he was almost thankful for the hard seating which held him not entirely in place for the twists and turns the bus made, sending his head spinning more and more.  
>His body ached already and they had only been out for about ten minutes. The bright light mixed with the cold and the lack of sleep did nothing to help his already exhausted body.<br>"Please, can we apparate on the way back?" Draco whispered to Hermione, scowling the people around him.  
>A small smirk on her lips, Hermione nodded her agreement to Draco's plea. It was quite entertaining to watch Draco Malfoy snarl a baby for crying loudly at the front, and then grimace as an elderly lady tried to talk to them both.<p>

Thankfully, the journey only lasted ten minutes, but that was enough for Draco, and he had never appreciated the flu network quite as much,  
>"I've changed my mind, I don't want to live associated with muggles." Draco huffed, his hands deep in his pockets as they made their way off the bus and towards the shops.<br>Not blaming him, Hermione looked up at his pale and sickly face, "Are you sure there was no other way? No healer that could perform muggle remedies?"  
>"I've told you, there is no remedy. No cure," He scowled down at her for reminding him, "I've just got to go to these muggle doc-t-ers and get some sort of therapy."<br>"Chemo?"  
>"What?"<br>"Chemotherapy?"  
>"Oh. Yeah, and radiotherapy. Something like that. They don't tell me much."<br>"They never do." Hermione commented serenely, looking down at her shoes as she made the familiar path towards the centre of the town.

Pigeons huddled in a tight group squawked together as a small child jumped and kicked at them, sending the birds screaming in Draco's direction, causing him to yelp and jump out the way, his heart racing as the little boy laughed at him, the pigeons in question now nowhere to be seem. Malfoy scowled meanly at the boy, and Hermione laughed even more at this second reaction-earning her a sneer of her own. However, this was only shrugged off by the woman has she smirked back at him and carried on walking.

The shops in this village were nothing like the ones in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, they were packed tightly together but there was enough space to fit two of them muggle buses in the road between them-and the buildings themselves were straight brick, leaning vertically in dirty whites and pale yellows. Hermione led him to one of the small shops in the middle of the row, not even looking back at Malfoy as she pushed open the door to the grubby shop with ease.

Draco entered the shop behind Hermione with a 'ding' of the door's bell ringing around the space. The sight in front of his was nothing like he was used to, but almost completely what he was expecting. The untidy, but rather large, room was nothing like Madame Malkins-there was no polished floor, no raised plinth to get measured on, and no friendly plump woman choosing what garments for you either. The only person Draco had for that was Granger, and she was neither plump nor friendly. Okay, he admitted to himself, maybe that was a bit harsh-she was doing all this for him, and it took a lot to do that.

Stepping over the abandoned, littered clothes that lined the pathway through the shop, Draco walked in Hermione's footsteps into the men's section-away from all the bright colours and towards the dark blacks and navies.

Aware of how quickly the clock was ticking down to when she needed to be in work, Hermione took no time in looking for something that Malfoy might actually want to wear-already sensing by his permanent scowl behind her that this would be trickier than taking a two year old.

"Erm…" Hermione mused, running her hand along the nearest line of T-Shirts that sat on a low rail to her left, "this one?"  
>She grabbed a white top from the rail quickly and pressed it against her chest to show Draco what it looked like.<br>"What is it?" The man asked, squinting at the cartoon image on the front.  
>Looking down, Hermione frowned as she tried to see what the pattern was, and then thrust it in front of her face for a better look, "Erm…a…a dinosaur?" She asked herself more than Draco.<br>"A what?" He asked, puzzled once again, surrounded by a world he couldn't get his head around.  
>"Doesn't matter," Hermione sighed, putting the hangar back on the rail with a somewhat disgusted look back at the shirt as she moved onto the next rack.<p>

"What about a shirt?" Hermione took a pale red long sleeved shirt from a high rail and held it up in the air.  
>"Not really my colour." Draco stated, barely above a whisper.<br>"Well..." Hermione stuttered, at a loss for words, turning around back at the rail to see the variety of colours on offer; she rather thought that red would suit him, but she assumed he knew better than her when it came to such things.  
>"Maybe this one?" Draco reached up and took a dark green off the rail and pressed it against his chest, looking down at it.<br>"No..." Hermione trailed off, not sure what she was allowed to say without offending him. "Is there a blue one?" the man asked, looking back at the rail.  
>"There's this one?" Hermione stretched up and unhooked a pale blue shirt and held it up for Draco to see.<br>"Yeah, okay. Put it in the pile."  
>"There is no pile!" Hermione exclaimed, already exasperated.<br>She looked up to see Draco smiling, the shirt folded over his left arm as he looked back up at the rail. Hermione couldn't help but smile, catching onto the joke and letting out a small laugh as she turned around to look at the next stack.

It didn't take long for the pair to be out of the shop, carrying only two bags containing four items after Malfoy refused to look at any more bad quality "muggle rubbish".  
>"You know, I'm sure we would be able to get somewhere if you actually looked at the things I was picking up!" Hermione exclaimed, for what seemed like the fifth time, pushing the two bags into Malfoy's chest for him to hold.<br>"How do you expect me to react?!" Malfoy equally exclaimed defensively.  
>"I don't know, maybe with a little more gratitude?" Hermione said, giving up with the situation as she made her way hastily to the chain store clothes shop opposite.<br>"Gratitude? Me? Give gratitude to muggles? I don't think so." Malfoy spat through clenched teeth.  
>"You won't be so edgy about it when they try and save your life!" The blow wasn't said maliciously, well, not too maliciously, but the hit still momentarily stung Draco as he watched the woman in front of him turn her heel and walk towards the automatic double doors in front of her.<br>"They won't be able to save my life." Draco said it more to himself than Hermione, but she still heard him perfectly clear and the words sent a shiver to form in her stomach, forming knots inside her as she grew smaller.  
>"I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking up at his squared jaw as he pushed his way to the men's section, "I didn't mean it like that."<br>"Just forget it." Malfoy snapped, clearly not forgetting it.

The two now shopped in silence, Hermione trailing behind Malfoy, fixing the clothes back on their racks as the man discarded them without a backwards glance. Draco already had a shirt and a pair of trousers looped over his arm as Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at the mannequin in front of her.  
>"That would be perfect! Draco!" Hermione called after the man, bringing him back towards her.<br>"What?" Draco sulked, looking up to where Hermione was pointing.  
>"That!" Hermione almost squealed, her finger picking up to show Draco the clothing she wanted him to wear, "a onsie!" she couldn't hide the laugher anymore, and burst into a fit of giggles as Malfoy grimaced at the bright blue and green all-in-one pyjama set in front of him.<br>"I'll pass." He sneered, a slight smile coming through his pursed lips.  
>"You do need pyjamas though." Hermione said wisely, standing up straight again.<br>"Hmm..." Draco mused, turning his back again on the woman and walking back to where he was looking before.  
>"I'll let you get them then..." Hermione trailed off, picking up a dark green jumper from her left and following Draco.<p>

"What's that?" Malfoy snarled, jabbing the dark blue sweatshirt in Hermione's hand with a pointed finger.  
>"A hoodie? Jacket?"<br>"One of the muggle jackets with a hood? Hoodie?" Draco questioned the word, trying it over in his mouth.  
>"Hoodie." Hermione confirmed, a small smile creeping up as she placed the item in the basket.<br>"As I recall, they did look quite comfy..."  
>"Have you just...praised a muggle item?" Hermione jested, her mouth wide in shock.<br>"Oh come off it!" Draco laughed half-heartedly, "I can't say anything remotely positive without you mocking it!"  
>"I'm sorry, it's just not-often that I see you be anything but offensive to mugg-" Hermione stopped dead in her sentence, "Draco!"<br>"What?" Malfoy answered quickly, looking behind him sharply.  
>"No! Your nose!" she exclaimed, watching the small dot off blood at the end of Draco's nose turn into a stream in a blink of the eye.<br>"Oh, shit!" Draco groaned, thrusting the bags and hangers into Hermione's arms and grabbed his nose, one hand pinching the tip and the other underneath in order to catch the blood before it fell onto the shop floor.  
>"Are you okay?" Hermione gasped, clearly in shock.<br>"Have you got a tissue?" Draco asked quickly, blood falling faster with every syllable.  
>Dropping all the shopping into the basket on the floor, Hermione scrambled in her bag for something to wipe up the blood.<br>"Quickly!" Draco shouted, aware of prying eyes.  
>"I can't find one!"<br>"Have you got your wand?" he asked loudly, not really caring who heard.  
>"Shit. Okay." Hermione performed a spell inside her bag, emitting a small paper tissue to land inside-which she then paced to Draco.<br>"And another?" he asked, holding the paper in place under his gushing nose, the white turning red in seconds.  
>Draco pounded the tissue into his nose, holding back his head as the blood ran down his throat, making him grimace the metallic taste.<br>"Do you know a spell that will work?" Hermione asked hurriedly, her wand held at the ready.  
>"I don't know whether to make a comment on you asking about a spell or just be sad that the answer will forever be no," The man replied through a mouthful of tissue and blood, "No, this is a side effect of the cancer, and no amount of magic can work on the cancer. Trust me. I've tried."<br>With no more words left to say, and a slight wound left in her stomach, Hermione watched as Malfoy spat away the blood and wiped at his nose forcefully as his breathing began to become shallower.

What seemed like half an hour passed before Malfoy used up all the tissues Hermione produced and had stopped the flood from his nose, a little of his already pale colour coming back as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt.  
>"How are you feeling?" Hermione said carefully.<br>"How do you think?" Malfoy snapped, spitting the words at the concerned woman in front of him.  
>"I don't know do I, you haven't told me yet!" Hermione growled back, just as maliciously.<br>"I-" Draco faulted, taken aback at Hermione's suddenly vicious tone, "I'm just a bit light headed." He finished softly, placing a hand to his head and stumbling back a few steps before he hit the floor with a hard thud.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione didn't even have time to gasp before a fresh pool of blood was on Draco's face-but this wasn't just coming from his nose this time. Red ran down the streams of hair that stuck to his clammy face, his eyes half closed but yet unmoving.  
>"Draco!" Hermione shrieked, unable to keep the fear from her voice as she dropped to kneel down at his side, taking his sweaty palm in her hand, "Draco, Draco wake up," Hermione shuck his hand forcefully, trying to wake his unstaring body,<br>"Oh god, Help! HELP!" She shouted, looking around frantically for anyone in the shop that might be able to see them tucked away in the corner on the floor, "PLEASE! SOMEBODY!"  
>Hermione had to gulp back the tears that were falling from her eyes as she panicked unwillingly, shoving her wand back in her pocket as footsteps drew near, that suddenly turned faster as soon as the sound grew closer.<br>"What's happened?!" A woman dressed in a black pin-striped suit gasped as she scrambled to the floor, calling out a college's name as she reached into her blazer and pulled out a mobile phone.  
>"I don't know, he was just having a nose bleed and then…he has cancer! You need to tell them that…" Hermione trailed off as the woman nodded and asked for an ambulance and a man dressed in the same uniform came running over.<br>"I'm so sorry!" Hermione sighed with a small squeak in her voice as she watched the balding man secure Draco's head with his hands.  
>"Nothing that can be helped, love, don't worry." He replied, his focus shifting from the blood on his hands to Hermione's eyes.<p>

The ambulance arrived within time for the blood to stop soaking out from the wound in Draco's head-one that looked much worse than it was, on closer inspection.  
>Without hesitation, the paramedics put his limp body in a spinal cord and onto a stretcher, Hermione followed in their trail, a tissue pressed firmly to her face-the bags containing the new clothes digging into her sides without a second thought.<p>

Hermione couldn't see anything around her, let alone hear any sound other than the thumping of her own heart, a ringing in her ears that got louder and louder.  
>She may not have that much care for Malfoy, but she couldn't have his life in her hands. Not yet. Not after only one night. The paramedics made her go with him, saying she would be needed to provide details. But she had to go to work.<br>She couldn't miss today, not when there were so many raids on different institutes enslaving house-elves, and old witches in pointed hats mistreating their "pets"-no, she couldn't miss today.  
>Maybe she would stay off tomorrow.<br>Maybe.

Her head was rambling, adding to the noise that surrounded her; the images in front of her were only half there-playing in slow motion-the lights not quite registering in her eyes.  
>Draco was stirring, starting to wake-he was mumbling incoherent words, with the female paramedic suddenly huddled more around him, messing with machines.<br>"Draco?" Hermione called out to him, her head popping up at his faint mumblings.  
>"Gran…ger." The name was said in a whisper, but it was there-and said as moody as ever.<br>"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly at the relief, her hand dropping down to her lap.  
>"Obviously not." He said with as much venom he could muster, he was obviously I pain, his voice cracking.<br>"You should let him rest." The woman standing over him said gently to Hermione, a small sympathetic smile on her lips.  
>"Yeah, of course," Hermione answered quietly, feeling stupid on having to be told to leave him be,<br>"Do you think he's alright?" she asked after Draco's moans fell silent once more.  
>"You'll have to let the doctors decide that one, I'm afraid-but the wound on his head really doesn't seem as bad as it looks."<br>"Yeah…" Hermione trailed off, looking down at her fingernails in order to see anything but Draco's pale face, still stained in blood.

Once they'd pulled up outside the big, muggle, hospital, the paramedics got straight to work with wheeling the bed into the big double doors of the Emergency Ward, meeting up with a team of doctors and nurses dressed in pastel green and blue, their arms out ready to help guide the trolley through the maze of corridors.  
>Various words were shouted over Hermione's head, making her disorientated once again as she watched Draco being carted off through another set of doors before an outstretched arm stopped her going any further.<br>"Can you please give in details for Mr…"  
>"-Malfoy" Hermione answered as she jerked to a halt behind a stern looking woman dressed in black.<br>"Could you please come this way?" The receptionist-Hermione assumed-asked, glaring at her from beneath her dark-rimmed glasses.  
>"O-Of course." Hermione stuttered, glancing over her shoulder to see Malfoy being log-rolled onto a separate bed, different nurses standing around him.<p>

Hermione ended up missing work to wait in the reception for more news on Malfoy.  
>There wasn't any.<br>All she had been told in the last two hours was that he was fine, had woken, but had to spend the night in a ward because of the head injury. He'd been moved upstairs (and so had Hermione) to the Neuro-oncology ward, where he was already being treated for his tumour, but that was it really. Nothing exciting had happened since the fall, just a lot of dizzy moments that left Hermione feeling sick.  
>She'd had to give in his personal details to the receptionist, but couldn't do much more than tell her not to call his parents-but luckily for him, the hospital didn't have any of that information on file anyway. Not that Hermione suspected that the Malfoy's used a telephone.<br>She had contemplated leaving him, going to work and then getting the spare bed back at home ready for him in the morning, but she didn't feel right just leaving him alone. She was the only one there for him. His last resort.

In the 48-minutes that Hermione had sat separated from anything but yellow corridors and anti-septic gel, she had let her mind wander, once again, to the thought of Draco Malfoy sleeping under her roof. The thought of Draco Malfoy being in hospital. The thought of the fact she was there, outside his ward in the hospital-because she didn't want to leave him alone. Oh, how times had changed. But, Hermione hadn't changed.  
>No matter who it was, Hermione would have done it for anyone. She knew that she wasn't the type of person to leave someone on their own-no matter the circumstance or who they were.<br>Draco had proved himself to her, shown he had remorse for everything he had done back in school. He's even told her the night before that he believed he had this cancer because of what he had done. She'd told him that was nonsense and that the world didn't work like that, but he seemed adamant that he'd done it to himself.  
>But he was still there, the snappy, moody little Draco Malfoy that she knew-ready to snitch on you or tell you how bad you looked today.<p>

It was mad, how she'd only actually spent two days-if that-with him, and she had already started warming to him. Not him, not fully; just the good parts-the Draco Malfoy that wasn't afraid to laugh at a joke, or to smile in front of her.  
>The Draco Malfoy that said thankyou.<p>

The thought made her shudder, it just wasn't right-but it was.

"Miss Granger?" A warm, female voice interrupted Hermione's rhythmic daydreaming, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked up, "He's asking for you."  
>Hermione's mouth opened slightly, no he didn't. He didn't want to see her and that's why she was staying outside. Just waiting for no reason to go home,<br>"Are you sure?" She questioned, genuinely surprised.  
>"Yes?" The nurse questioned back, her eyes narrowing as she held out an arm into the doorway of the ward.<br>"I just expected to be waiting out here all day." Hermione laughed, trying to keep the confusion out of her voice as the woman eyed her suspiciously. She rose from her chair, still carrying the bags, and turned towards the direction the woman was implying.  
>"Ah, alright," The nurse answered, keeping her voice level, "He's just on the second bed."<br>"Thankyou." Hermione answered, not turning her head to look back at the woman before she headed towards the closed curtains in the middle of the row.

"Granger." Malfoy drawled as soon as she opened the curtains to see him lying down on the bed, his face and head now cleared of blood.  
>"Mayfoy." She said respectively, nodding her head slightly.<br>"I had to tell that woman you were-that we were in a relationship, otherwise she wouldn't have let you in." He grimaced slightly at the word 'relationship', his voice sour.  
>"How very…thoughtful of you." Hermione replied, not quite sure what she should think.<br>"I have my moments." He smirked, but then turned it into a wince; it was obviously painful to do even the slightest movements.  
>"How are you feeling?" She asked, picking up his notes at the end of the bed for something do to, other than watch Draco readjust himself on the bed.<br>"You tell me," He groaned, trying to push up the pillow using one hand behind his head, "I take it it was your idea to bring me in here."  
>"It was the manager at that store we were in, actually." Hermione replied shortly, dropping the clipboard back on the side of the bed and moving around to help lift Draco's pillow up.<br>"Full of muggles…" He grumbled, lifting his head forward slightly so Hermione could slip the pillow up easier.  
>Hermione rolled her eyes and sat down on the seat beside the bed, pulling one of the bags on top of the bed at Draco's blanket covered feet.<br>"Nice outfit." She smiled slyly, looking up at Draco.  
>"Humpf," Draco puffed, "I tried to tell them, to get it off me, with no such luck."<br>"Ah, you can't get everything your own way, Draco." Hermione put on a fake, motherly voice, smiling as Draco glared at her.  
>"Figures." He muttered under his breath, looking back down at his feet.<br>Humour gone,


	7. Chapter 7

"Hermione!"  
>Hermione turned around quickly as she heard the familiar voice calling behind her.<br>"Harry!" She smiled, walking towards him.  
>"Hey, where have you been?" He asked, sounding conversed.<br>"What?" Hermione questioned, momentarily forgetting she'd been off the day before.  
>"I didn't see you in yesterday, I sent a message to your office but didn't get a reply, and wel-"<br>"-I had something come up." She snapped quickly, slightly annoyed by Harry's question.  
>"It's not like you, that's all." He seemed shock at her change of tone, but the I clever statement just drove her tired mind louder.<br>"I'm allowed to have a day off aren't I, Harry? Just once? Maybe?" she shook her head, annoyed, ready to turn away.  
>"Are-Are you okay?" Her best friend questioned, a worried look on his knowing face.<br>"Yeah-" She changed her tone softer, "yeah, sorry, just tried."  
>"I spoke to Ron yesterday..." Harry's tone turned darker as he trailed off.<br>"What about?" Hermione really wasn't in the mood for this conversation.  
>"He wants to speak to us. To you." Harry was suddenly serious, his eyes baring into Hermione.<br>"Tell him he can, anytime he wants." Hermione answered with a roll of her eyes, bored now, "I've told you, he can come up to me at any time."  
>"He's worried you'll hex him...again." Harry answered with a small grin, as he moved away from a wizard trying to move past him.<br>"There's nothing stopping him, I'm past that."  
>"He misses you."<br>"And I him." Hermione said, confessing the truth out loud.  
>"We could meet tonight? All of us, again, tonight?" Harry sounded enthusiastic, excited even. They hadn't been the three of them together in months, not since...not since Ron did the thing that couldn't go un-forgotten.<br>"Harry...not that I don't think that's a good idea, which I do-but I have something on tonight." Hermione looked to the floor, the other thing on her mind suddenly coming back to the forefront.  
>"I don't know whether to ask why, or what?" Harry asked, trying to find Hermione's eyes again.<br>"I'm going to be late." Hermione said, both to avoid the answers and because she really was late."  
>"I'm just asking, what would be so hard?" Harry asked as he started to move her along to the direction of the elevators.<br>"I just don't know if I'm ready to start things up again." Another confession.  
>"He's really sorry Hermione." He looked up at her, but Hermione refused to look back, instead keeping her eyes fixed on the elevators she was walking towards.<br>"Maybe sorry isn't good enough, not this time. Maybe he should have thought about that before he went and did what he did?"  
>"Look, Hermione, we spent the best years of our lives together-more than half, and I want that back, he wants that back."<br>"I'm sure he does." They stepped into the lift, side by side.  
>"I know you do to." He said sternly, punching in their number floors on the buttons to the side.<br>"I do. But I can't do tonight." Her tone was flat, but still, annoyance was coming through.  
>"What do you want me to tell him?"<br>"I've got no problem with you talking to him, Harry." Hermione interjected, dodging the question again.  
>"Even if I didn't want to, he's my brother-in-law, it's hard not to." Harry sounded sorry, as if he wished he could change the fact.<br>"I know," Hermione said, dropping her shoulders and loosening slightly, "I just wish he would come to me himself."  
>"He wants to. I know he does."<br>"Tell him to come and see me then, he knows where my office is." Hermione stepped out of the lift as it suddenly ground to a halt.  
>"Tonight?" Harry asked behind her.<br>"I can't do tonight." She stated with a sigh, looking back at Harry quickly, the doors closing before the man could ask her why.  
>She wasn't sure when she would be free.<br>Although Draco wasn't her responsibility, and he would hate to think that he was-he had made that quite clear when he had first come to her, when they had stayed up all night talking about it, when they had discussed the plan. There was no plan.  
>She wasn't sure if she was allowed to tell Harry. She wasn't sure whether she would. But he was her best friend. But she was scared of what he would say, of his reaction.<br>Harry had other things on his mind-Ginny was pregnant, for one, and relations with Ron weren't exactly at their best right now. It was amazing how much the two of them could get away without seeing him for months, even though they worked under the same roof. And now it seemed like Harry was getting back in touch. Not that he could avoid being his brother-in-law, or his best friend.  
>But Draco, that's what Hermione had to keep her mind on.<br>Come to think of it, as she sat down on the familiar stiff, wooden chair in her office, she didn't have to have her mind on either of them. Neither of them were her concern. Work should, and would, be her priority. Always.  
>Except her mind kept wondering to a certain red-head sitting only rooms across from her own, and a certain, particularly nasty, blonde lying in a hospital bed with a brain tumour the size of a peanut, waiting for her to be home so he could have a fresh sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>"Draco?" Hermione called out from the landing as she heard the familiar crack issuing from below her.<br>"That's me." Malfoy groaned, stumbling over towards the sofa he slept in last night and falling into a sitting position on it quickly.  
>"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, hurrying down the stairs.<br>"Just a bit fatigued if I'm honest." He stated through another groan, getting himself more comfortable on the cushion covered couch.  
>"I've just got the room upstairs ready for you." She said, walking into the kitchen and fetching a glass of water for the man sitting awkwardly in her living room, his bloodshot eyes standing out behind his pale skin.<br>"I don't know if I'll be able to make it up the stairs." He admitted, stifling a yawn.  
>"If not, we'll just use a few charms, I'm sure." Hermione answered, trying to keep the pity from her voice as she handed the half-asleep Malfoy the glass, which he took with a nod.<br>"Ready?" Hermione asked once Draco had set down his now empty glass.  
>"Guess I'll have to be." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes slightly as he tried to lift himself up off the deep sofa.<br>Hermione hurried over, grabbing hold of an arm to help hoist him up, before she was ushered away by Draco with him pulling his arm away with distaste. Muttering to himself angrily about not needing help.  
>This was obviously a lie to himself as he struggled to even get from the sofa to the fireplace without having to run at it for support, then having to lean from the ledge to the doorframe before stumbling to the foot of the staircase.<br>With all his weight resting on the banister, determination steamed through his tired eyes as he refused to accept and give in to the locomotor charm, Draco carefully, and extremely slowly, shifted himself up each step, with Hermione standing just behind with her arms outstretched ready to catch him-much to his annoyance.  
>Eventually, after what was much too long for a normally simple and automatic task, Draco made it to the landing, trying to hide his pants for breathe with great difficulty as he draped himself over the wooden railing.<br>"It's just this room here." Hermione said softly, stepping around him and opening the door into the guest room.  
>Grunting, in (as what Hermione took to be) appreciation, Malfoy shuffled inside without a word and set himself down on the newly made bed.<p>

"Is there a potion or anything I can make to help with the symptoms?" Hermione asked shyly, charming water into a glass on the bedside table.  
>"No, I've tried all the spells already and there's no potion." He answered, reaching for the glass.<br>"How would you know?" The woman questioned, watching Draco gulp down the water.  
>"My mother was a Healer, she taught me everything she knew-and as I said, magic can't help this cancer thing." Draco mumbled, speaking to the glass in his hand.<br>"I didn't know your mother was a Healer." Hermione commented, genuinely surprised.  
>"What? Don't think she would be caring enough? She wasn't," He scoffed, setting back down the glass, "Not many people knew anything about my family."<br>"Not not caring enough, I know what she did for Harry-" Draco raised his eyes at her, as if suggesting that this one act did not constitute for her being caring, "-I'm just surprised she chose that line of work, knowing her sister…"  
>"Which one? Because I'm pretty sure the one we don't talk about also was." Draco said sarcastically, settling himself deeper into the bed.<br>"I meant…it doesn't matter…" Hermione trailed off, noticing Draco closing his eyes in dismissence, "do you need anything? More pillows? Some food?"  
>Draco shook his head in reply before turning himself to the side, his back to Hermione, "Turn the light out." He demanded, as Hermione's footsteps retreated backwards.<br>Hermione smiled to his back sarcastically, reaching out to turn off the light before giving a small mock bow to an empty audience.

* * *

><p>"Draco." Hermione whispered from the door frame, knocking gently on the open door and waking Draco up with a start.<br>"It's really weird hearing my name in your voice." Malfoy said raspily, opening his eyes after a moment.  
>"To be honest, it's weird saying it." Hermione laughed slightly, bringing a tray towards the bed.<br>"I'm starving!" Draco announced happily, sleep still in his voice.  
>He took the tray off Hermione and set it on his lap, grinning greedily at the soup in front of him.<br>"You look like you haven't eaten in weeks!" Hermione laughed, passing him a spoon.  
>"I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks!" Draco said through a yawn, almost snatching the spoon before scooping it into the soup, "This is also my favourite." He grinned, eating hungrily.<br>"Oh," Hermione laughed sheepishly, "I didn't know that."  
>"I would have been scared if you had!" He winked up at her, grabbing a piece of the thick bread from the tray and scooping it into the bowl.<br>"You're the one scaring me now…"  
>"Blame the drugs, or the sleep-I don't think I've ever slept as well before."<br>"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking a piece of the bread.  
>"Insomniac." Malfoy commented without hesitation, focusing on his food.<br>" Oh, right…" Hermione said, surprised.  
>"I'm telling you now, you wouldn't even wish night terrors on your worst enemy-not even Potter." Draco scoffed darkly, too bust concentrating on his food to notice Hermione's disapproving look at his last comment.<br>"After everything that's happened, Harry is still your enemy?" Hermione questioned with raised eyebrows, picking at the bread roll in her hands.  
>"Some people you just can't let go of," Draco winked at her, "no, of course I'm only joking."<br>"Harry asked me to go out with him and Ron tonight actually." Hermione remembered suddenly.  
>"Who would be the third wheel for that date then," Draco grinned to himself, gulping down the last of the water, ""Why didn't you go?"<br>"Because Ron and I-because I wanted to make sure you were okay after yesterday." Hermione covered up hastily, ignoring Malfoy's questioning look.  
>"Did you tell him that?" Draco asked, quickly deciding not to delve into the real reason.<br>"Tell him what?"  
>"About me?"<br>"Oh, oh no-why would you want me to?" Hermione asked, her mind wandering.  
>"Merlin no! My head hurts enough as it is without him storming around here to shout at me for using you or some shit he would make up."<br>"I doubt that…" Hermione said seriously, taking the cleared tray off Draco's lap and standing up.  
>"I don't put it past Potter, always assuming things-especially about me."<br>"And he's never been wrong?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, smirking.  
>"…That's not the point." Draco huffed, a dark smile creeping up on his lips as he remembered breaking his nose at the start of sixth year.<br>"It's off putting, that smile." Hermione laughed, tapping the empty glass on the table with her wand and refilling it.  
>"After all I've told you in the last two days, it's my smile that you won't allow?" Draco answered with mock hurt.<br>Laughing gently, Hermione shook her head and turned to leave , glancing back slightly to see Malfoy swallowing his tablets; she smiled lightly and shut the door behind her without another word.

The last seven minutes had given her more insight into Draco Malfoy than the seven years she's spent every day with ever had-and she had no idea how to feel about it.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay, so I can hear you thinking even above the snap of my rice crispies." Hermione laughed to herself softly as she set down her spoon and looked at Draco, who was sat across the table from her.  
>"I'm just wondering what made you think of this colour scheme." Draco frowned, looking around the kitchen.<br>"Oh," Hermione frowned-not at the somewhat insult to her house, but disappointed that that was all he was thinking about-"is that it?"  
>"Yes," Draco lied, "the colour is so…cliché."<br>"Who are you, the new fashion editor of Witch Weekly?" Hermione giggled, picking up her spoon again.  
>"No…" Draco grimaced slyly, "I just have eyes."<br>"I know," Hermione sighed, turning around slightly to take in the grimy yellow walls, "to tell the truth, it wasn't me who chose the colour."  
>"Who else would ever have this little taste?" Draco rasped disdainfully, pushing all other thoughts to the back of his mind as he took another bite of his toast.<br>"Ginny…well, mainly Ron-they went to get it together, but-"  
>Hermione didn't even have time to tell Draco she actually liked the walls before he made a small leap from his chair, "Don't tell me you used to live here with Weasley!"<br>"Erm…maybe…" Hermione trailed off, feeling her cheeks burning up as she realised Malfoy had every right to jump from his seat, if he knew the things they'd done on that very spot…  
>"I didn't even realise you guys finally got your act together? Wow." He sat down again, both looking and sounded impressed as he remembered back to the two squabbling school kids.<br>"Hmm…" Hermione mused, rolling her eyes and shaking her head slightly, the colour subsiding from her cheeks.  
>"What happened? I presume he doesn't live here anymore?" Draco asked through a mouthful of toast<br>"Er, no." Hermione laughed facedly, standing up suddenly and refilling her cup of tea at the counter behind her.  
>"Woke up one day and realised he was too ugly for you?" Draco smirked to her back, unaware of the tears starting to brim in Hermione's eyes.<br>"Too ugly for me?" Hermione questioned, trying to keep her voice steady.  
>"Yeah, you know." He answered nonchalantly, taking another bite of his toast.<br>Wiping her eyes quickly with the cuff of her sleeve, Hermione laughed gently to herself, "No, I don't know Malfoy," she turned herself around and smiled, leaning against the counter, "please, enlighten me on how anyone could be too ugly for me."  
>"Well, you know…" It was Draco's turn to trail off as he felt his cheeks turn pink, looking down at his crumb covered plate.<br>Hermione laughed, "No, I still don't. But anyway, it wasn't anything to do with him-or me-we just came to a mutual end, I guess," Hermione lied, her voice wavering as tears threated to come back, but she busied herself with collecting Draco's empty plate, "More toast?"  
>"No, no, just a glass of water please." said Draco, who was glad for the change of topic.<p>

Unlike Granger and Weasley, he and Astoria hadn't ended smoothly, and it wasn't a mutual agreement. She'd left him brutally once he had started getting memory loss and mixing up his words, when he had started getting frequent nose bleeds and bouts of sweating. Too much to deal with, she had said. Draco let out an audible sigh as the memory flooded back to him, of the argument that had led her to leave with a mountain of his inheritance and pride.  
>To Draco, Hermione had obviously had it easy, neither she nor Ron had kicked out the other, and that's the way he had wished it had been for him. No ugliness. No illness. No quick escape.<br>It's not like they had even been truthfully happy-arranged marriages never were-but they got on, and they loved each other. She was beautiful, and what more could a man want?

Draco mutted silently to himself as he swallowed his daily dose of tablets, grimacing slightly at the pain of gulping down too much water too fast.  
>"You alright?" Hermione asked softly, noticing Malfoy's wince.<br>"Yep." Draco grunted in response, sipping more of the ice cold liquid, soothing the sickly feeling rising in his stomach.  
>"I'm in work today, by the way." Hermione told him as she set back the jug of water in the fridge.<br>"Alright."  
>"I'll leave in an hour and won't be back until late, will you be okay?"<br>"Yeah, I don't need a baby sitter," Malfoy scoffed, pushing his chair away from the table, "believe it or not, I've been on my own in a house before."  
>"I know," Hermione muttered defensively, charming the morning's cutlery to wash itself, "You know what I mean."<br>"Yes, I'll be fine. I'll just stay in bed again." Draco smiled facedly, watching the woman as she walked out the room.  
>"Don't get too used to it!" Hermione called from the living room.<br>"Believe me, I won't." Draco called back, listening to her light footsteps disappear up the stairs.

In truth, Draco hated lying in bed, cooped up to be felt sorry for. Yes, although in school he spent most of his time brooding to himself in the confinements of his cold dormitory most days, that was only because he couldn't actually face going out and having to face the most annoying people he could ever imagine in his mind, even if he wanted to.  
>As the man lifted himself from his chair with a groan, his mind wanded again to his past life, images coming back to him in faded colours, of days long gone and times not so well spent.<br>His mother would always give him a hiding if he spent any day in bed for longer than necessary, and so he had taken the opportunity to do so at Hogwarts-where no one actually missed him if he didn't come out from behind the dark satin curtains.  
>But, as his mother had brought him up, he would much rather be up and reading a book in the dark shadows of a dusty library than lie sweaty in bed with nothing to do. However, the illness he now found himself stuck in was constantly tying him down between the sheets, tiring him out before he even had a chance to move even more than a step towards the door.<br>He'd been learning to overcome the weakness, especially in the mornings, but it was easy for his body to give in and conform to the fatigue his mind wanted to feel.

* * *

><p>"Okay, do you need anything before I go?" Hermione asked, her wand at the ready by her side.<br>"Nope, I'm good." He smiled weakly, looking up at her from the sofa.  
>"Do you know how to use the DVD Player?" She asked quickly, noticing Draco's gaze fall onto the small TV set occasionally.<br>"Huh?" The man questioned, genuinely confused.  
>"Oh, doesn't matter-I'll put a film on for you now." Hermione walked over to the television and knelt down, picking up a little known about wizard film and taking it out of the case, explaining to Draco how to turn on the TV and work the buttons on the control.<br>"Muggles never fail to confuse me." Draco rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly as the picture came on the screen.  
>"I have loads of muggle films in the box," Hermione instructed indicating to the large box she kept the films in, "most of them are romantic though, I'm afraid." Hermione admitted quietly, slightly embarrassed at her guilty pleasure.<br>"Right…" Draco trailed off, half baffled, half fascinated.  
>"You'll have to route through and find some documentaries." Hermione told herself more than Draco, who wasn't really listening.<br>"I'll probably forget all the buttons, but thanks."  
>"No problem," Hermione smiled as she stood up, "watching the screen fondly as the title credits rolled on, "enjoy the film.<br>"Hmm…" Draco answered, not fully listening and instead letting the woman's soft voice drown into focus as he watched,  
>"this isn't a mushy romantic is it?" He questioned suddenly, turning back to her.<br>"No, no, action." She told him somewhat defensively, standing back into position after handing Draco both TV and DVD remotes.  
>"Good, I can't stand any of that in books." He grimaced, his eyes fixed back onto the screen.<br>"Me neither to be honest," Hermione laughed, baffled at her own tastes changing.  
>"Anyway, goodbye. I'll see you later."<br>And without another word, Hermione turned her heel and was out of the room with a crack.

* * *

><p>The day passed by relatively slowly, with Draco turning his way through film after film, fully absorbed into camera angles and narrative plot. Admittedly, he had almost been excited to put on one or two romantics, but found himself mainly going for the action and comedy, supposedly left by Ron-as he couldn't possibly imagine Hermione setting herself down with a nice cup of coffee and watching <em>Back To The Future<em> or _Lord of the Rings-_both of which he had enjoyed thoroughly (not that he would ever tell anyone but the walls).

Although he had fallen asleep a number of times at different intervals, Malfoy lost himself to the world he had never before explored-amused at how wizards both before and after him knew about this muggle sorcery but hadn't fully divulged it to him. It was a new magic of which he had never seen before, knowing just how possible it was to create such a thing, but not yet sure how muggles had been able to do it. Someone with a wand with surely involved somehow, and had just managed to keep it a secret. Somehow.

Hermione apparated into the hallway half way through his private premier screening of _Saw_, startling him slightly as the loud crack issued from the next room.  
>"Have you even moved?" Hermione laughed, coming into the living room and seeing Draco laying hunched up on the sofa.<br>"I don't think so." He admitted solemnly, half glad of a distraction to tear his eyes away from the film that was slightly disturbing him.  
>"You must be starving!" She sounded aloud, mentally clocking the time as she tutted to herself, making her way hastily to the kitchen.<br>"I mean, I've moved to change the disk thing." Draco commented behind her, turning his attention back to the screen.  
>"I can see that," She laughed again, busying herself in the kitchen.<p>

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask," Hermione mentioned as she put a tray of hot pasta in front of Draco half an hour later, "how did you know where I live?"  
>"What?" Draco asked, startled slightly at the question, momentarily forgetting where he was.<br>"The other night, when you first came here?"  
>"Oh! Oh, I just looked in the Ministry files." He told her simply, starting on his pasta.<br>"Is that even legal?" Hermione asked, marginally shocked that Draco had gone to such lengths.  
>"Why, going to report me?" He smirked, some what startled by how hungry he now found himself as he was eating.<br>"If only." Hermione scoffed, seating herself down with a bowl of pasta beside him.

"I couldn't find the button on the remote that changed the disk for me." Draco commented,making idle chit-chat.  
>"Did you charm it?" Hermione tried to hide the humour in her voice as she asked the obvious question.<br>"Yes," Draco stated darkly, with a hint of defiance, "I just wish it would do it for me without a wand."  
>"Ah, well-you can't have everything."<br>"If only we could." Draco remarked, the conversation suddenly turning sour.  
>"Was it difficult to stand up?" Hermione asked softly, trying to steer the conversation away from bitterness.<br>"It's always difficult to stand up," Draco stated unpleasantly, "and it's not worth the hassle for only a short distance."  
>"I see..." Hermione trailed off, trying not to feel sympathy towards the sick man, "good job you're a wizard then." Hermione laughed, attempting to diffuse the difficult silence in the room.<br>"Exactly." Draco snarled with a huff, turning his attention back to the closing credits, which he enjoyed just as much as the film itself.


	9. Chapter 9 Part 1

A.N this chapter is short because it will be in two halves-hopefully the other will be updated within the next few days. I just thought it would be two long to be all in one and therefore confusing as it switched POV. Thankyou.

* * *

><p>"This okay for you?" The face looking down on the man loomed into focus, the edges of the pretty woman standing above him blurred as a bright light shined down onto his eyes.<br>"Oh yeah." The man rasped jokily, trying to make humour out of the situation that made his heart hammer in his throat.  
>"Lie very still. Don't move. Breathe gently." The same speech every time, twice a month for three months already he had had this. Only this was the first scan where they knew exactly what they were looking for.<br>"That's my fantasy." The man laughed again, trying to focus on the bright blue eyes of the woman in white who had yet to move from his sight.  
>"Ready?"<br>"Give it to me." He tried to make it light, tried to flirt, but the croak in his voice that came out like a soft whimper said otherwise.  
>"Squeeze this if you have any problems." The woman handed him a small piece of rope, which he could not see but knew she had handed him.<br>The man smiled, taking hold of the woman's hand, "What, this?"

Ignoring him, the woman in white walked away with a faint smile, leaving him to apply the headphones himself, reaching up blindly to his ears and pressing the big muffs down firmly. "Sure you don't want to join me in here?" He called out as he felt the bed of the CT scanner rolling into the small couldn't hear her reply, and something about his inability to hear over the loud drone of the machine made him feel even more claustrophobic and alone, even if he was used to the sensation by now.

* * *

><p>"With your speech, can you remember what happens, exactly? Can you describe the problems you have?" She was sat across from him, her hair pinned up in a tight knot, now in a suit.<br>"It doesn't affect my intelligence; I just have trouble getting the st-stupid word out." The man stuttered, much to his annoyance, which showed highly on his pale face.  
>"We're just trying to get to the route of the problem, Draco, no one is accusing you of anything." She still looked sad, her perfectly figured face as tight as the bun in her hair.<br>"It's just intensely embarrassing to stumble of the name of a spe-friend. I have trouble telling my wife I love her." The man lied, trying to cover up his near fatal mistake of talking of magic to a muggle.  
>"In my opinion, we can definitely rule out dementia or any generative disease." The woman carried on, ignoring his comment.<br>Ignoring him, ignoring his pain that she couldn't feel.  
>The embarrassment and the hurt contorting the world around him.<br>Although she was stony faced, the man couldn't help but show some sort of smile, even though he didn't know what the words meant, something about the way she said them sounded good. Almost.  
>"I'm afraid to say, looking at your latest scans, and your symptoms, I think the only explanation is that you have a brain tumour. Cancerous and untreatable."<br>There was a word he did know.

* * *

><p>Her voice was soft yet firm droned in and out of his mind, the story replaying over and over as he sat in the same position he was in a month ago.<p>

He tried his best, trying again to fix his position just above her head; trying to make the room stop spinning and the words she was saying come out in a straight line.  
>"-although the scan today does seem to show that the tumour hasn't grown." Somewhere between his brain and his fingertips, the time Draco was in now separated from the time before, and he suddenly fell back into the room. The woman's hair was down, long passed her shoulders with one wisp falling into her eye. Draco was still looking at the spot just above her head, at a letter on the poster on the wall. He couldn't read the letter; his eyesight wasn't that good anymore. But he focused all his energy on it anyway. Making it stand out.<br>"Is it still inoperable?" Draco asked suddenly, his voice sounding soft against the harsh rocking of his brain.  
>"Unfortunately, I think it always will be." The doctor looked back at him, a small smile on her face suggesting a touch of empathy.<br>"Right." Draco concluded, nodding his head sharply, his gaze wavering slightly from his letter.  
>She probably started talking again, but Draco was too busy concentrating on not letting his mind wander to the last time he stared at that letter behind the pretty woman's head.<br>He kept going back to the minutes when he was first told, when he first heard the words come out of her mouth, her voice as monotone as it was today and her eyes looking with no feeling.  
>An apology was what she gave almost every time but the woman was like him, cold hearted. Maybe not even a cold heart led to the settlement of selfishness and an unseeing eye. That was always something Draco battled within himself, how he always seemed not to care on the outside. Not that he did on the inside either-in some cases.<br>But with a person sat in front of him whom he wanted to show some sort of emotion other than boredom and he wasn't getting it, he could only see an image of himself reflected back. And it hurt. Somewhere, squished in between the pain and the embarrassment and the downright sadness, he felt a tiny bit small at the fact he wasn't getting anything but bad news from this doctor that was supposed to know how he was feeling and make it better.  
>Muggles were just as stupid as he thought, proven.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hermione!" for the second time that week, Hermione heard Harry's voice call out behind her in the hallway, forcing her to stop in her stride and turn back.<br>"Harry." She smiled, only half glad to bump into him as she transferred her folders into her left arm and pulling him in for a hug with her right..  
>"Hi, Harry, Hermione." Ron's sheepish voice came from behind her as she let go of Harry and turned sharply to see the redhead standing in front of them, looking as stressed as she felt.<br>"Oh for fuck's sake, this is all I need-" Hermione started, but then turned back to Harry and caught sight of his face. His hair was scruffy and his eyes looked tired, almost bloodshot. Suddenly, at the surprising sight of his current state that was a complete opposite from the start of the week, Hermione dropped her own stresses from her mind.  
>"Are you on your break? Both of you?" His rough voice startled her as she pulled away and held Harry by his elbow, looking at him properly.<br>"Did you set this up?" She asked Harry sharply, casting a quick glance over her shoulder at the man still standing behind her.  
>"No, he didn't-I never usually come down here but I needed to go to Law Enforcement." He said tentatively, knowing all too well that was Hermione's own department.<br>"And should I ask why?" Hermione stood tall, raising her chin against the man she detested to see the sight of, feeling suddenly both protective and proud of her department.  
>"Guys, please, can I talk to both of you? Can you leave work for just one second, please Hermione?"<br>"I was about to go to-" But Harry's eyes looked pleading, searching for her to go with him, "Actually, I can do that later. Are you okay?"  
>"Thankyou," Harry breathed out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and for one of the first times in her life, Hermione thought he genuinely meant it, "can we go for a walk? I need to talk to you."<br>"Are you sure you need me?" Ron asked, feeling awfully uncomfortable as the two shut him out.  
>"Mate, of course I need you." Harry smiled over Hermione's shoulder at the man, and then chanced a daring glare at the woman, who didn't utter a word against the statement.<p>

The three walked in silence towards the elevators, Ron sulking behind as he sunk his hands further into his pockets.  
>"Are you okay?" Hermione asked again as they stepped into the open doors.<br>"No, not really. No." He answered shortly, the start of tears being swallowed in his voice.  
>"Do you want me to carry those, 'Mione?" one of Ron's long, stubby fingers pointed to the folders in Hermione's arms, which were threatening to topple on the ground.<br>"I'm actually perfectly capable of carrying them myself, thankyou." The woman said curtly, adjusting them in her arms.  
>"Suit yourself." The man said irritably, giving a sad smile to Harry.<p>

* * *

><p>Draco left the bright corridors of the hospital for the cold and rather dismal afternoon in central London. The ground was wet and the air only reflected his mood.<br>Not wanting to go back to Granger's just yet, for fear of being cooped up inside again, Draco started walking in the direction of forward, not knowing anything about the very noisy and very busy city he was in.  
>His mind was all over the place, his eyes not seeing where his body was leading him, caught up in his own thoughts as he struggled against the breathing wind that threatened tears from his eyes. Of course, it was the wind.<p>

He tried all he could to clear his mind, to empty the thoughts that kept washing over him in tidal waves, one after the other, over lapping so much that his head span in concentration. The doctor wanted him to go to a support group. The doctor wanted him to stay inside more. The doctor wanted him to come again next week. The doctor wanted to give him more tablets. More fucking tablets. Because four, four times a day wasn't enough. And a support group indeed, what the hell was he going to do in a support group surrounded with muggles? He only knew what one was because there was one in one of the films he was watching the day previously. He had got through quite a lot of films, but the strain of keeping his brain alert was starting to hurt, and it certainly wasn't helping his vision at all.

Although he was starting to appreciate muggles a little more, he still couldn't stand to be in a room alone with them. Even just walking now, with his eyes firmly fixed upon the ground, he could still sense the dirt around him. The foul breath of those below him beating down on his chest, touching his skin, their eyes darting in his direction stares burning into him. He couldn't cope and he felt trapped. Suffocated. Unable to move against the burning pressure of his head.

He had been brought up not even being allowed to look at a muggle, let alone speak to a mudblood without being severely punished. He still had scars from when he was five, when he was caught talking to the local boy who used to marvel at his castle. All Draco had done was smirk and say his house was better than the boy's, and then proceeded to laugh at a joke the boy told. They hadn't even had time to play soldiers before Draco's aunt had seen them. He never found out what had happened to the boy. He didn't want to know.

And he had been cast out now by his family as if he was a muggle. As if he were as low as a rat in the gutter that only deserved the foul of a dog. Week in, week out, Draco had been pushed this way and that between hospital walls, transferred from each one to find out the diagnosis. And ever since, it was all that kept playing in his mind. What he did, how he felt, what he said-what he should have said.


	10. Chapter 9 Part 2

"Harry, will you please just tell us what is going on?" Hermione said irritably as they hit the fresh air of the chilly afternoon.  
>"Yeah, you're starting to worry me here mate." Ron agreed, quickening his step behind the two, who were walking with purpose.<br>"I'm sorry…" Harry started, not quite sure where to begin.  
>"No, it's okay," Hermione glared at Ron for being so insensitive, and reached out a hand to rub Harry's shoulder sensitively, "should we go to the park?"<br>"Yeah, sure." Harry said sulkily to himself, hunching his shoulders against the wind.

The three walked on, an awkward silence surrounding them as they huddled against themselves in an attempt to keep in their heat.  
>"Do you want to sit down? I'm knackered," Ron said with a yawn as they entered the grassy area opposite the hidden entrance to the Ministry, and without even waiting for the other two to reply, the man set himself down on a nearby bench.<br>Rolling her eyes, Hermione sat on the other side of Harry, refusing to sit next to the redhead that continued to irritate her with every passing millisecond.  
>"Hermione, light a fire or something will you, it'd freezing." Ron muttered, without trying to hide his rudeness.<br>"Do it yourself, Ronald, or are you incapable of even lifting your wand? I'm surprised your arms haven't moulded over with lack of use." Hermione scoffed over Harry's shoulders, which were beginning to shake, unnoticed by the pair.  
>"Don't you start that again, you know bloody well I do a lot! A lot for you anyway! A lot for us!" Ron raised his voice, causing Hermione to stare, wide-eyed in shock.<br>"Oh, you worked while I was in school did you? Saved a bit to buy a house did you? Ah, that must be the reason why my parents bought it then!" Hermione laughed coldly, all colour draining out of her to match the greying sky.  
>"You know full well I gave them money! And I paid for food for weeks while you-"<p>

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare! We had to go round to your mum's every other day because we couldn't affor-"  
>Suddenly there was a smash on the ground, and the pair stopped bickering instantly.<br>The two pried their eyes away from each other and glared down at the floor in anger instead.  
>On the ground lay the remains of what appeared to be a glass jar, which was shattered around Harry's feat. Neither of them had seen him stand up in rage, let alone see him charm a rock into the glass, ready to set a fire in it.<p>

"Harry?" Hermione questioned worriedly, setting eyes on his wet cheeks, his shoulders still shaking with both anger and upset.  
>"I don't know what to do, and you two being off with each other seriously isn't going to help me. Can you please stop arguing for one minute, please?" He asked, pleading with them, and he sat back down at their nods of agreement.<br>"What's up?" Ron asked, his voice suddenly soft, as he watched Harry point his wand at the glass shards that repaired back into a jar instantly  
>"I don't actually know how to say this," Harry began, trailing off slightly as he passed the jar to Hermione to put a flame in, which she then passed to Ron who was acting the coldest.<p>

"Ginny's pregnant." Harry breathed out in a sigh, his head back in his hands.  
>"What?" Both Hermione and Ron shouted at the same time, only the female voice sounded a lot more elated than Ron's.<br>"I know." Harry turned to the man on his left, satisfied with his reaction of negatively.  
>"I don't know whether to be more angry that you've slept with my sister, or that you've got her pregnant."<br>"Oh, come on Ronald," Hermione said irritably, "he's been married to her for four years; of course they've had sex!" If she wasn't so annoyed at the boy she may have giggled at the thought, but she herself had had sex with Ron on, shamefully, multiple occasions, and that thought was nothing to giggle at.  
>"Yes, but never before has the news been announced that he's got her pregnant!" He said defiantly, still staring at Harry in horror.<br>"It was news to me too, believe me." Harry said, looking even more stressed as he looked at Ron.  
>"How far gone is she?" Hermione asked, excitement growing back in her as she set her eyes back on Harry.<br>"A month, or two-I can't remember. I've been worrying too much?" Harry replied, running a hand through his thick and matted hair.  
>"Why?" Hermione questioned, shaking her head.<br>"I don't know how we're ever going to afford it, for one."  
>"Well, look at my parents for that one, mate, they had more than they could name and still managed, with you two on top! I wouldn't worry about money." Ron stated with a shrug, trying to comfort him.<br>"Yeah, that's what Gin said." Harry agreed, allowing a small smile to the man.  
>"And you've got savings right? What your own parents left you?" Hermione chipped in, reaching over Harry to take the hot jar off Ron.<br>"Yeah…But it's not just that? I don't want Gin to lose her spot on her team, you know they don't let women play after giving birth."  
>"That's true." Agreed Ron, who was never actually a fan of female quidditch players until his sister joined Holyhead Harpies after finishing school, a position he was very keen on boasting about at parties.<br>"I'm sure she'll find something else she'll love?" Hermione tried, passing the jar to Harry.  
>"Is that it though? Is there something else?" Ron pressed on, sure that those couldn't be the only reasons why Harry seemed so stressed.<p>

* * *

><p>Draco felt the sun slowly sink into the ground, but he still kept walking. He didn't know his way around the city, but occasionally found a few stops he recognised from various infrequent days out when he was fortunate to come this way, but nothing noticeable. For a while, he tried to find The Leaky Cauldron, intending to head to Diagon Alley, but gave up after half an hour of blindly searching among street names and random strangers. He'd spotted a few wizards which he could see with hooded cloaks or wands pointed at the ground, but he didn't stop to talk to any of them, not wanting to gage conversation with anyone but his own thoughts. Yet, even them he didn't seem like talking to. You can get bored of yourself, and Draco knew that better than anyone, better than anyone would ever assume anyway.<p>

It was now, as he was walking, lost on the busy streets of London, that Draco had that thought. The thought we all get from time to time, that Draco himself had had once before now, but had never yet felt the power of the question so strongly. Would anyone miss him if he was gone? He would be gone, eventually. Inevitably. Soon. But he could do it now; he could kill himself today before the tumour killed him tomorrow. And no one would know but the strangers that witnessed. However, the man was no fool and knew he was too much of a coward to do that. He had been in the face of death before, at the hands of one almost as murderous as cancer, but a miracle and sheer luck saved him from death. Sheer luck and love. Love he no longer possessed. Yet another emotion to be ticked off the list of things he couldn't feel.

His feet wandering about on their own, the man walked until he couldn't any longer, his breath ragged and his eyesight washed over as the images in front of him fogged in and out. He slumped himself on the floor, head in his hands as he allowed the wind to take control and tackle tears out of his eyes, with no energy left to fight them. Passers-by shouted incoherent words at him which he ignored, his mind too focused on regaining his breath, trying to numb the screaming pain in his head that enabled him to concentrate on anything but the cracks in the floor below him.

* * *

><p>"How long have you been feeling like this?" Ron asked, a mixture of anger and relation pouring out of his voice.<br>"Not long, about a month? I think it will pass, but I just don't know." Harry answered meekly, embarrassed at himself.  
>"Have you told her?" Hermione flew another question at him, glancing a casual look at Ron.<br>"No." Harry told them honestly, standing up from the bench, his hands deep in his pockets.  
>"I think you should, mate, believe me, she won't want to find out when the baby is here."<br>"That's the thing-I don't even want the baby, I'm not ready to be a dad. Even though all I've ever wanted is a family, now it's come I'm...scared."  
>"But Harry," spoke Hermione softly, looking up at him as she lifted herself from the bench, "It sounds like you're not ready to be a husband either." She glanced again at Ron, the feeling of resentment coming back to her as Ron cowered under her gaze.<br>"It's not that-" Harry said defensively, staring back at Hermione before starting to walk further into the park, "I know I love her, I've loved her for years, don't get me wrong. I just don't know if I'll stop loving her."  
>"And you think you will?" Hermione spoke softly, her full attention on Harry as she tried to block out Ron from her vision.<br>"I don't know." He replied with a sigh, running his fingers through his thick hair.  
>"But, you just said that you're having doubts about staying with her?" Ron reminded him casually as he joined them, a feeling of embarrassment stirred inside him as he thought of Hermione.<br>"I guess I am, but I know I never will, I just feel like I'm lying to her."  
>"Hmm." Hermione muttered, trying to hold off a sarcastic comment as she glared sharply at Ron.<p>

"Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?" Ron asked in response to her frequent snarls, stepping behind Harry to look at her directly.  
>"No, I'm talking to Harry." She growled, ignoring his request with a turn of her cheek.<br>"Hermione, I'm okay. I just wanted to tell you about the baby," He stopped and looked at her, before carrying on, "The rest...the rest I need to figure out for myself."  
>"But-" Hermione began to argue, wanting to help Harry aswell as not being alone with Ron.<br>"But you and Ron need to talk," Harry came in before she had a chance to carry on, "I want my best friends back." His voice was calm yet pleading, giving the sense that Ginny wasn't the only thing troubling him.  
>"Okay, fine." Hermione folded her arms across her chest with a huff and turned to Ron.<br>"Thanks mate." Ron mouthed to Harry, before watching him walk away, and finally turned towards the rather angry looking Hermione.

* * *

><p>Picking himself up with a groan, Draco pressed one hand to the wall in order to steady himself, his new jeans scraping the brick with force.<p>

He could feel eyes on him, but carried on ignoring them. Running his hands through his hair, the man put one foot in front of the other and opened his eyes to see the unfamiliar path that he must follow. He didn't know why he had to carry on walking, with his vision still obscured by his migraine and his breath still short, but something was guiding him to nowhere and for some reason, he decided to follow the pull.

Marching on, using all his will power that he didn't know he possessed, and using all the energy he had within him, Draco carried on walking. Hands deep in his pockets, he glided through the streets with an uncertain ease, stopping only to dodge the way of passing vehicles.

It wasn't long before his feet grew tied again and his lungs forced him to stop. Spotting a grassy area that was mainly empty, probably due to the dismal weather, he crossed over and found a bench under a low hanging tree, which provided some shade from the passing wind.

* * *

><p>"So what's this all about?" Hermione demanded once the silence grew around them, the absence of Harry to drive the conversation milling between them.<p>

"You bloody know what this is about." Ron snarled, lodging his hands deeper into his pockets, so that his shoulders hunched over slightly.  
>"No, I don't Ronald," She snapped, taking a step towards him, "You haven't spoken to me in months! Why would you want to talk to me <em>now?<em>"  
>"I haven't come to you? Why is it always me that has to do the running around for you?" The man growled back, taking a step away from the angry woman.<br>"Ha, that's rich!" Hermione shouted, turning heads of strangers towards them, "Less than a year ago I'd fall asleep to the sound of your voice on the other end of the phone, with-with butterflies in my eyes and lights in my heart," She stumbled on the words, unable to keep the emotion from her voice, "but now you don't even have the decency to come to me yourself, Ron. You have to do it through Harry."  
>"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, both confused and ashamed.<br>"It's just cowardly Ron, using Harry as a way to talk to me." Hermione dropped her head, looking at her fingertips.  
>"Don't call me a coward!" The man shouted, taking a step towards her with a pointed finger, "You know bloody well that isn't true."<br>"Yeah?" Hermione challenged, her voice raised and high, "then why did you have to wait until Harry was upset in order to talk to me?"  
>"But we're not talking, are we? We're screaming at eachother, like we always do!" Ron snarled, ready to walk away.<br>"You know why we're not talking Ron, you know why you haven't slept in my bed for a year? You know why? How dare you suggest I don't have the right to shout at you! To be upset!"

"What do you want me to say to that?" Ron questioned, his tone high as he fought back tears that always threated to spill whenever he thought about what had happened, "You know that it was a mistake!" He took another step towards her, his arm outstretched ready to take her hand, only to get a cold shoulder instead, "and it was _our_ bed." He added sourly in response, knowing that there was no way to win her round now.  
>"I don't fucking care whose bed it was, and I don't care if it was a mistake or not," Hermione screeched, her voice cracking as she searched for the words, "the point is, is that it happened." She took a step away from the man, not wanting him to see the tears that had sprung into her eyes, blurring her vision.<br>"How can I ever make it up to you?" Ron pleaded, following quickly in her footsteps.  
>"I don't think you ever can." Hermione didn't even turn around, but quickened her step away from him, her hand pressed firmly to her cheek, wiping away the tears.<br>"I miss you."  
>She heard Ron shout after her, he didn't seem to be following, but she didn't slow down her pace until she had rounded the corner.<p>

"What the-Draco?" Hermione's voice was shrill and sharp, ringing into him.  
>The man awoke instantly from his low state of consciousness, his head jerking up at the recognition at his name,<br>"What?" He slurred, his eyes still half closed.  
>"What are you doing here?" Hermione said, panicking as she stepped towards him, quickly wiping the water from her cheeks, "Are you alright?"<br>"W-What?" Malfoy questioned again, oblivious to the sight of himself, slumped against the bench with his hair tangled over his sweaty forehead, his eyes half rolled back to suggest a state of drunkenness. If Hermione didn't know better, she would have presumed he was just that, drunk.  
>"Are you alright?" She asked again, kneeling down in front of him, a hand on the bench arm as she looked at him closely.<br>"Yeah…No…I don't know…" Malfoy trailed off, his voice barely above a whisper as the unbearable feeling of sadness took hold of him once again, brimming over to barely keep the emotion off his features.  
>"How have you got here? It's miles away from the hospital! How was the appointment?" She threw questions at him as she stood up, looking down on his unwavering stare with worry.<br>"I walked?" He said it sarcastically; his voice sounding some-what normal again, which he was thankful for; obviously he had walked-but the fact scared him a little. He didn't even realise he was walking, or that he had stopped.  
>"How was the appointment?" She asked again, keen to keep conversation light as she allowed her mind to wander how he had got there.<br>"Same as always." He snapped, feeling no reason why he should talk to her.  
>"Right…"<br>Taking Draco's cue, Hermione said no more, leaving the silence strong between them for some time. Hermione looking down at the pale and stressed state of the venerable man, who she still had memories of hexing her. Although she felt awkward, Hermione didn't sit down, believing that her unbound stare from above would prompt him to say more than a few words, but her efforts seemed fruitless.

"You look like my doctor." Draco said suddenly, his gaze still fixed straight ahead, but by the split second look on his face, he was just as confused as Hermione that he had said it.  
>"Great?" She asked, trying hard to keep the sarcasm as she looked down at him.<br>"She's blonde though, with straight hair…" He added as an afterthought, his eyes breaking from their trance for a fleeting moment as he looked at Hermione, who turned herself around and sat down next to him, brushing down her skirt as she sensed an opportunity to keep him talking.  
>"What did she say today?"<br>"Little more than usual," He sighed with his eyebrows raised, "except that I have less than a month," Hermione gasped, shocked, unable to know what to say-for once.  
>He didn't say it with much emotion, but the way his shoulders sagged at the words gave Hermione a feeling there was more to his coldness than he was letting on.<br>"So you'll have your spare room back in a few weeks." He continued after Hermione failed to speak.  
>"What?" She gasped again, "I've said, that's no worry, none at all; I've actually got quite used to the company." She was talking nonsense, nothing that would make his words mean any less, but the sentence just rolled out of her before she had a chance.<br>"Well I guess you'll just have to get used to it again then." He sighed deeply, and silence ensued between the two again.  
>Hermione shifted in her seat, fidgeting with the folders in her arms as she heard Draco suddenly start to cry.<p>

Loud sobs emitted from within him, coming without warning or intention, yet sounding like they had been trapped inside bursting to come out. He gulped down a lump in his throat that he didn't know had arisen, breathing in a sharp breath that he didn't know he was holding. He let out stuttered breaths, heaving in noisily as his shoulders shaked beyond his control. Using the hem of his jacket sleeve, he wiped at his nose and cheeks, trying to rid himself of the non-stop liquid travelling down his face.

All humiliation he had was masked by the overwhelming feeling of sadness; right now, he didn't care that a woman he had only been calling by first name for a week was sitting right next to him, trying to ignore him, and nor did he care that he was totally exposed to crying in front of muggles and wizards alike. He had finally recognised where he was, his destination being just outside the Ministry of Magic. It must have been a coincidence that his feet had led him here, but he didn't have it in his heart to care.

All the thoughts, all the feelings that he had had throughout the past few days- the past few months even-flew past his mind and jumbled inside his brain, whizzing in and out, screaming louder and louder until he forgot the reason why the tears had even started.

His sobs continued to grow louder, with his shuddery breathing more and more rapid until he managed to gain control. He'd tried with little success to steer himself, to stop the pent up emotion from escaping him and brimming over, but it had took a long while before it happened. His useless brain wouldn't let him stop when he wanted. Not that it would let him to anything he wanted to nowadays.

He knew Hermione had noticed his sobbing; it would have been hard for her not to have. But to Draco's upmost thanks and approval, she did not say a word, but continued to look down at the files on her lap, shifting the papers awkwardly from time to time.

It was only when the sobs had decreased and his breathing steadier, did the woman finally turn to him,

"Draco, what's wrong?" She asked softly, her voice rasped like silk as she threaded the question through the air, genuinely worried as she tried not to look upon his face.  
>"I…don't…know." He answered between sobs, which were starting to die down now.<br>"There must be something wrong? For you to feel like this?" She kept her voice light and soft, treading carefully in order to get some sort of answer out of him.  
>"It's stupid." He hiccupped eventually, after some pause as he contemplated his answer.<br>"Nothing's stupid if it makes you sad." Hermione's voice cracked slightly as she tried to hold back emotion.  
>Normally, Draco would have snarled at a comment like this, and at her starting to cry, but right now all he wanted to do was actually tell someone, in order to clear the mess in his head.<br>"I guess it's a lot of things," He started, and Hermione let out a silent sigh of relief as she turned fully to watch his face as he talked, knowing that she shouldn't stop him,  
>"Part of me just wants to live, to be okay and to not know what the future holds-but part of me wants to just get this over and done with. My life has never been an overly happy one; I can probably count on one hand the amount of moments that have actually made me genuinely happy. Not that I remember any of them. And now I can't even <em>have<em> any more of them…

"I just feel trapped, trapped within this illness that's eating away at my memories and my life, leaving me lost to the point I can't remember key moments of my life. Every day I wake up and check if I'm alive, and it's only when I swallow the first tablets that I realise I am, and I realise that I'm not even that happy about it," He bowed his head and sighed heavily before continuing, "I just feel alone,  
>Draco looked up to see Hermione looking both shocked and confused, as well as a sure struggle to keep herself from crying.<p>

"I'm not lonely, I'm alone," he reassured her, "I just feel like I have no one in this but me. I can't trust any of these people because they don't know _me_. I keep nearly talking about floo powder or pumpkin pasties to random muggles that ask me random questions like 'how are you feeling today?' The same as I bloody felt last time you asked, only this time I have less time to live,  
>He paused for breath, but Hermione didn't interrupt-knowing he was on a tangent of speaking thoughts as they came to him, thoughts that had obviously been bothering about for some time, thoughts he had never shared with anyone else before her. The thought gave her chills, but she didn't question this decision.<p>

"And they keep telling me that in order not to be alone in this, then I should go to some fucking 'We're All In This Together' cancer bollocks in some random church where you can all 'support' eachother through this 'hard time', The man used his index fingers to quote sarcastically, spitting out the words with sheer disgust,

"So what, I'm not the only fucking one with cancer, but that doesn't make this any less easy."

"You're not alone in this, you need to know that. You're not-" Hermione told him anxiously, unable to keep her tongue as his words cut through her like knives, spilling empathy from her.

"What else do I _need_ to know?" He snapped, fed up with all the rules.

"Draco..."

"_No_, Hermione. I keep being told by people how to think, how to feel, what to do. What if I want to feel alone? What if I want to think on my own? But I can't think. I can't fucking feel because I have a big great lump growing inside of my brain, with no way out."

"Yes you can, Draco, you're still human. No matter what happens, you're still human."

"I don't feel fucking human, Hermione," He spat out her name, twisting the syllables as a way to use it against her, "And I don't need you to feel anything for me because I'm going to die. I don't even need to feel anything because I'm going to die."

Hermione chocked back the tears and said no more, instead choosing once again to sit in silence as she listened to the breaths of Draco Malfoy rise and fall beside her. Silent tears found their way down her cheeks, leading a soft trail through her already stained makeup.  
>What could she do? A man couldn't die feeling like this. No one should ever feel like this. Yet, there was nothing in her old <em>Standard Book of Spells<em> that told her about human emotions. Nothing ever would.  
>If only there was something <em>real<em> she could hold onto, something to give him to make everything alright.  
>If only there was a cure.<p> 


	11. Chapter 10

"Come on, let's take you home." Hermione said smoothly as she stood and took the mans arm off side of the bench.  
>"Home?" He asked, confused.<br>He looked up at her with blood shot eyes, momentarily forgetting who she was and why she was there, a feeling of hope and longing of his own home crawling into him.  
>Hermione restrained herself from saying 'Oh Draco' in a patronising voice, and instead opted for ruffling his sticky hair with her hand and saying she meant her home,<br>"...you have to stay with me, remember?"  
>"Oh..." He looked heartbroken, his pained eyes flickering from hers as he sighed inwardly.<br>"It's not forever though..." She said hopefully, still trying to prise him up off the bench.  
>"If it is forever, then forever is fine." He looked back up at her with that same pleading look.<br>Hermione didn't understand the statement, but tried not to let it show on her face as she tried to think of a suitable response.  
>"Well, I'll take that as a compliment," she said with a small snort before adjusting the heavy folders she was holding in her arms,<p>

"Oh shit!" She announced heavily as a look of annoyance flooded her face.  
>"What?" Draco asked, blinking up at her through tired eyes.<br>"Will you be okay coming into the Ministry with me? I have some work to catch up on..." Hermione trailed off, somehow knowing it was a big ask.  
>"I don't know..." He looked down, a hand automatically reaching for his left arm as he rubbed the mark of his tattoo over his jumper.<br>"Please? I don't-" The words "I don't want to leave you" hung in the air as Hermione momentarily scolded herself for the insensitive statement, "It won't be for long? You can sit in my office while I quickly finish up?"  
>He didn't look convinced.<p>

"It's not like you haven't been in the last few months..." She said it more to herself then him, the sentence coming out quite bitter as she thought of him looking through her details.  
>"I know but-" He couldn't really think of an argument; he just knew how rough he was feeling and a thousand eyes on him wouldn't help right now.<br>"Come on, it'll be fun." Clutching at straws, Hermione lifted her voice and plastered on a smile.  
>She really didn't want to leave him to either stay out here or to apparate home alone; it wasn't a thing of trust, more the fact she was too worried what would happen if he was alone again. His mind wasn't in a good place right now.<br>"Fine." Draco spoke after a moment, standing up with a roll of the eyes and a large sigh.  
>"Thankyou!" Hermione breathed out, standing up fully and clutching her folders tighter to her chest.<p>

* * *

><p>"Sorry about this." Hermione whispered into Draco as they reached the entrance of the Ministry of Magic.<br>"Don't mention it." Malfoy grumbled, his head low and his shoulders hunched as he continually ran his hand through his hair as they walked further in.  
>"My office is on the third floor. Magical Law Enforcement. Meet me there." She said quietly before quickening her pace away from the man.<br>She was gone before he could comment a short, 'you've done well for yourself'-which was true, she had. Draco was impressed.

He watched her from behind as the woman, plaid in a tight suit with a skirt that was just short of her knees. She had a hand to her face, brushing away any remaining tears she self consciously thought where still there, not that he knew that. And at last, the woman was gone, her wavy brown hair rounding a corner was the last thing for him to see of her before she was out of sight.

He knew his way around the Ministry, it wasn't that that made him keep to the walls of the large building, or made him check over his shoulder awkwardly every through seconds. He had unfinished business with a few people here; people that didn't think Death Eaters should have got away without a sentence in Azkaban. The fact his father had didn't excuse him or his mother, according to some.

The thought of his past made his tattoo tingle, it was in his head, he knew, but something about the small burning sensation made him feel uneasy. The doctor had commented on it when he'd had his first scan; she seemed to like it, not that he knew why, nothing about it seemed "cool". To him it was hatred and a life he was forced to live against his will. The images of death still haunted him in his dreams. No, nothing about how it looked or what it stood for was anything to call positive.  
>But some people didn't want to listen to him, didn't want to believe that he had repented and forever now hates and disowns his past. To them, it's 'Once A Death Eater, Always A Death Eater'. No turning back.<p>

And that's just how it used to be, there was no way out.

* * *

><p>Draco reached Magical Law Enforcement quickly, managing not to bump into anyone who might wish to have a 'quick word' with him.<br>He knew Hermione was right, and that he had been here in the past two months to see her details and check where she lived, but he'd done that when the Ministry was closed, the hallways dark and empty as he walked alone through the large space. Nothing like peek time, where wizards stalked the haunted corridors without stopping, mulling around in groups as they worked and walked or met for idle chatter.

He turned into a long corridor with a sigh and checked the names on the doors that lined all the way down the narrow walls. Granger's was the second to last identical door on the left. Her name plaque was paved in gold with her manager title scrawled neatly underneath. Truth be told, Draco had wanted a job at the Ministry as soon as he had first been old enough to go on a day trip there with his father; and seeing Hermione's large office room now made him all the more envious. He opened the door wide and stepped over the threshold, keeping his steps light as to not to disturb the tranquility of the place. There was a desk and three chairs sitting neatly in the middle of the room, inviting him in, but Draco couldn't help but divert from comfort and look around the endless walls.

He turned back on himself and closed the door with a simple shut, there was no creek of the hinge or moan on the polished wooden floor. Everything about this room echoed Hermione; the two walls lining the door were streamed with books. Old to new were stacked without a single dust mark on them, a library of her own creation spanning the entity of two large antique bookcases that towered the wall, ostracizing the tall man as he walked around the space silently.

The far wall, opposite the brown wooden door, held filing cabinets and two large chalkboards either side of each other, scrawled all over with notes and equations that could still be made out under the newer editions that had yet to be edited.  
>An open drawer of the wooden filing system led him in the path of the woman to the desk, where an open folder lay sprawled open, the contents spilling out in an orderly fashion across the table. Draco allowed his feat to lead him to the chair that was obviously Hermione's, looking out onto the other two, which were most likely used for interviews and the such. There was an empty chocolate frog packet laying at the side of the folder-it's card placed face down. Draco drummed his fingers slightly on the hard wood before reaching over and looking at the face of the card.<p>

The man let out a small "hhmf" as the figure of Ronald Weasley stared back at him with a smirk. Without reading the description, Draco set the card back down in the same position and opened the bottom drawer underneath the desk. As he assumed, it was filled to the brim with a variety of sweets-Hermione probably bought them for any children that may come in, but by the looks of the several empty packets, it was probably only the woman herself who ate them. Draco pulled out a packet of Fizzing Wizzbees with a grin and opened them without a second's thought as he began to read the lines of work that Hermione had left in front of him.  
>After the floating sensation left him back in his seat, the man started intently at several pages of words that didn't seem to end, letters jumping out at Draco, mixing up on that page and becoming blurred. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate and read, the typed writing just became one big mess to his vision, and he was forced to retire and put his head in his hands.<br>"Malfoy?"  
>Draco's head snapped up the moment the voice reached his ears.<br>"Get out!" He snarled, putting his head back down and massaging the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, in order to relieve some pressure in his head. This was all he needed.  
>"No," the figure of Ron Weasley took a step into the office with confidence, his eyes bearing into the man who was not looking.<br>"This is Hermione's office and I have come to speak with her on Ministry business." Ron spat out the words with a snarl, all formalities gone for a woman who held power over him.  
>"I didn't hear you knock." Draco spat back with just as much venom, lifting his head up slowly in order to glare at the tall man through narrowed eyes.<br>"Well, I did," The man standing in front of him told him defiantly, taking another step forward to make him seem taller, "and I'd appreciate it if you would please tell me what you are doing in here."  
>"Oh please," Draco said, rolling his eyes before pushing back the chair he was sitting on away from the desk and standing up and walking towards Weasley, "<em>Hermione<em>," he said her name sarcastically, making Ron wince slightly under his ever nearing gaze, "Hermione," he repeated, straightening up,"asked me to wait her for her."  
>"And why would she do that?" The other man asked, standing his ground as he took another step further into the room, the handful of files under his arm shifting slightly as the door behind him shut firmly closed.<br>"Because she's busy." Draco spat out the words as he came away from the desk and nearer to Ron.  
>"She didn't seem it last time I spoke to her." Ron scoffed, taking another step into the centre of the room.<p>

"What's that supposed to mean?"  
>"Just that acting like a little girl and running away crying doesn't seem very busy, now does it?" Ron snapped sourly, his eyes wavering away from Draco's momentarily.<br>Draco seemed taken aback, at a loss for words as he felt chills run up the side of his back. He hadn't known she was crying. He hadn't properly looked at her, but if he thought back to the hour or so before, when she first found him, she had been crying.  
>He felt an unusual drop fall in his stomach as he thought of her pale face with tears streaming down. He'd seen her cry before, but knowing it was something else-someone else-that had upset her so, made him feel strangely protective and hurt for her.<br>"And why was she crying?" Draco asked once he had found his voice again.  
>"How am I meant to know?" Ron answered defensively, curious as to why Draco seemed so upset about the obviously new news of Hermione.<br>"What did you do to her?" he snapped angrily, rounding on the man.  
>"N-Nothing!" Ron backed away as Malfoy's angry face came closer to his own, "We just had a sort of argument." He answered hurriedly as he instinctively reached for his wand, sending the variety of folders crashing to the floor as he did so.<br>"Why? What about?" Draco asked angrily, his temper rising with every step he took towards the red-head.  
>"A-about the past, I guess." the man stuttered, stepping over one of the forgotten folders in order to back away further, his wand drawn to his chest as he watched Draco quickly take out his.<p>

"Let me guess, you were blaming her?"  
>"I don't actually think it has anything to do with you, Malfoy." Ron stood his guard, finding all the courage within him to talk back to the man who loomed over him.<br>"Actually, now we're on the subject, why exactly is it that you and Hermione broke up? She hasn't got around to telling me yet." Draco smiled cruley, wanting to give every impression that he and Granger were currently dating behind the man's back.  
>"Well…I…er," Ron stumbled, his cheeks turning red as he fought for something to say, "You haven't told me what you're doing here anyway." He shouted, raising his wand higher in defense to any action Malfoy may or not take.<br>"Why, me? I'm just waiting for my," he paused before saying the word that refused to come from his lips, "girlfriend to be ready to come home after a stressful day at work," Something flickered in the Ron's eyes as he said the words, his wand arm wavering slightly as he looked crestfallen at his defeat.  
>"Then the plan is to visit a nice little expensive restaurant that you could only dream of visiting, Weasel." Draco added with a sneer, digging the knife in further as he watched Ron's blush harden.<br>"She didn't say anything to me about _you_." The man glared, a spell on the tip of his tongue as he lifted his wand slightly, aiming for Draco's chest.  
>"And why would she need to say anything to you about me?" Draco frowned as he noticed Ron's arm itch to cast a spell on him, "not so fast, <em>Stupefy<em>!" He roared, flinging the hex at the man's chest. It was common knowledge that he had always been a master at flying spells in under a second, and Ron was mad to try and think he could beat him.  
>"<em>Impedimenta<em>!" Ron screeched once he got some in back in his lungs.  
>Draco was knocked back into the chairs behind him, causing him to crash to the floor with them; a loud groan issuing from his mouth as he was flung involuntarily to the floor, his head bashing back onto the wooden desk.<p>

Ron simply laughed as he watched the blonde try and scramble to his feat, his arms and legs tangled in the chair legs as his head pounded inside of his skull. On his way to his knees, Malfoy pointed his wand to Ron's legs, breathing out "_Locomotor_ _Mortis_" as steadily as he could, standing up slowly as he checked the back of his head for any blood that he could swear he could feel trickling down his hairline-even though evidence suggested against this.  
>Ron moaned as he tried to move his legs out of the curse, tumbling over himself and having to stare up at Draco, who was smirking intently at the man,<br>"Maybe you should think twice about hurting _my_ Hermione from now on," Draco snarled, seeing red as he stepped over the wriggling body of Ronald Weasley beneath him, a groan coming from the latter as he stepped onto his hand forcefully, "I could always do a lot worse,"  
>Draco stood on Ron's mouth now, pushing the man's face into the floor, "here's one I learned from your old pal Harry Potter," Draco spat out the words, before lifting the pointed wand to his shoulder before bringing it back down "<em>Sectums<em>-"

"Draco!" The sound of Hermione's high pitched scream shrilled through the room, echoing off every wooden surface as Draco looked from her shocked face, to the grappling form of Ronald Weasley under his shoe.  
>Immediately, but all too slowly for Ron, Draco took is foot off the man and took a few daised steps backwards, his hands reaching for his face as he breathed deeply, trying to clear the fog building inside of him. He watched through someone else's eyes as Hermione lifted the leg-locker curse off her ex-lover.<p>

"I'm…I'm so sorry." Draco breathed out as he dropped his wand, apologizing more to Hermione than Weasley.  
>"You were about to kill him!" Hermione shrieked, her eyes wide as she helped a shaking Ron to his feet.<br>"I-I don't…" He started, his feat still backing away from the pair.  
>"What was he doing here in the first place?" Ron gulped finally finding his voice as he started open mouthed at Hermione.<br>"I asked him to wait here?" The statement came out more as a question to herself than an answer to him.  
>"Maybe <em>next time<em>, you should ask your boyfriends to wait, oh, I don't know, maybe outside?" Ron twisted the words sarcastically, giving Draco a snarl before brushing himself down and making a quick exit towards the door before Hermione could question his phrasing of her relationship to Draco.  
>"What was all that about?" Hermione questioned, her voiced still high as she gestured to the floor.<br>"I really don't know." Draco could feel the start of tears build up inside of him now the anger had cooled down inside of him.  
>"And girlfriend?" Hermione asked exasperated, taking a frustrated step towards the tired man, "Did you say that to make him jealous?"<br>"Maybe…" Draco answered after a while, hanging his head slightly in shame as he avoided eye contact with the woman in front of him, who he was so sad with disappointing.  
>"Did it work?" Hermione's voice turned soft and mischievous, part of her glad to see Ron so bedazzled-even if she was, at first, scared for his life.<br>Draco looked up at her, a small smile creeping up on his lips as he saw her smirk.  
>"What do you <em>think<em>?" He asked with raised eyebrows, his smile widening with malice.  
>Hermione bit her lower lip playfully as she tried to stop herself from smiling back, red rushing to her cheeks as she turned her head away to hide her smirk.<br>"You can't hide that joy from me, Miss Granger." Draco teased as he reached for the hand that was now covering the woman's flaming cheeks.

And then they were looking at each other with smiles on their faces and mischief dancing in each other's eyes. Grey meeting the shining brown that he had only ever seen sparkle in his dreams.  
>Draco suddenly realised he was holding onto her hand, and his heart started pounding so hard in his chest that he was worried that Hermione would be able to feel it traveling through him. His smile faltered, and suddenly he was looking at her lips.<br>Hermione's breath caught short in her lungs as she calculated how long he'd had hold of her hand. And he hadn't let go. She locked her eyes onto his before breathing out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.  
>Somewhere within him wanted to close his eyes and take her burning cheeks in his hand and to rub his fingers against her smooth skin and to count every freckle on her fragile face, and then kiss her chapped lips like they were the most expensive thing in the world.<p>

Draco let his hand fall from the lose grasp and looked away as Hermione straightened herself out, letting the moment hang in the air between them as they awkwardly gathered up their feelings inwardly, before turning off the lights and heading home together.


	12. Chapter 11

The next day passed by silently and rather un-eventfully; Draco choosing to sit brooding in his bed hour after hour, taking tablet after tablet as he tried to smooth his aching head. Well, his head was one reason why he hadn't moved downstairs to speak to the woman below him who was keeping herself busy by cleaning the house by hand from top to toe and back again, claiming the dust would make Draco's condition worse.

But, really, they were avoiding eachother. They were _thinking_ of eachother. It's weird how being only feet from a person can still make you feel like a thousand miles away. Both of them had been thousands of miles away from people before-but this was different. This was something far from distance.

* * *

><p>"How can I get this stupid idea out of my head?" Draco asked the door that he had placed a silencing charm on, before he turned on his heel again to face the large, netted window on the opposite wall.<p>

"I can't stop thinking about her eyes. Her lips." he stopped dead in his path, "oh those lips!" he moaned, rolling his head back to watch the ceiling, scrutinising it to read it's hidden answers.

* * *

><p>"No, you did not nearly kiss Draco Malfoy last night," Hermione mumbled to herself as she pressed hard on her cloth, scrubbing a particularly nasty stain that had found it's way onto her kitchen counter again, "and no, you certainly do not <em>want<em> to kiss him." she told herself firmly, looking up at the ceiling above her as if Draco would be able to hear her hushed tones from the floorboards. Biting her lip to stop herself saying anymore, she continued to watch the stain slowly itch itself from the wood.

* * *

><p>"Why am I even here?" He rotated his feet in a circle, his eyes watching the walls as he spun himself around. He knew the answer to the question well enough not to voice it. He was here because he had to be. Because there was no one "But there was someone else," The man sighed out, collapsing down on the bed below him as he let his head stop twirling "There were plenty of people, muggles, muggle-borns…all just as capable of giving me a bed and teaching me the bus routes," he told the ceiling, "Yet, you chose <em>her<em>" He took a deep breath and sat himself upright, his legs swinging over the side of the bed.

* * *

><p>"And what about Ron?" Hermione asked herself as she lay down in the middle of the living room, her arm stretched underneath the sofa, pointing a vacuuming charm at the carpet, "Not that you actually <em>like<em> Ron…he might just get upset if anything were to happen with Draco…not that anything ever _would_ happen with Draco," Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, coming out from under the sofa.

* * *

><p>"Okay, look, yesterday was just a thing that happened when you were both upset and you wanted cheering up. And besides, nothing even happened! You're being a stupid <em>boy<em> who is getting all confused because your head is slowly eating itself up and you're losing brain cells. The real thing you should be asking yourself is why you walked for hours from the hospital to the Ministry. Or why you still haven't got that extremely hot doctors' naked body draped over you right now, in this bed," Draco zoned out for a moment and then shook his head, getting the image from his mind as soon as the doctors' face turned into someone else's. Someone who he _really_ didn't want to be thinking of naked. Did he?

* * *

><p>The clock in the living room chimed loudly, rattling over the house and knocking Hermione out of her trance. She peered over at the small object before grumbling and standing up. 5 o'clock was probably now time to start making tea; something she had only done once for both Draco and herself, finding it extremely difficult to get back into cooking for two. Plus the fact Draco didn't seem to eat all he was given anyway, which was even more infuriating. She really had no idea how the house-elves managed, and it was times like this she was glad for S.P.E.W.<p>

Grabbing her hair quickly in a knot and thing it behind her hair, Hermione opened a cupboard above her head and searched for what she could use to make something. Although she could use magic, as she knew perfectly well, Hermione enjoyed cooking without using her wand, remembering the tricks and menus her grandmother taught her as a child.

Being the odd one out in her muggle family, Hermione always felt more connected to them when she cooked and baked, smiling to herself as she remembered helping her nan as she stood on a small box at the side of the counter in order to reach, or sitting at the oven door and watching the bread rise as she waited in anticipation. It was something she clung to when her parents were in Australia without her, without their memory of her.

The woman washed her hands under the sink, and then set to work grabbing various ingredients out of various cupboards until a bag full of pasta pieces, a jar.

* * *

><p>"Draco," the man told himself firmly as he started to pace again after seating himself down on the bed for a rest his dizzying head so desperately needed, "you don't like her. You never will and never have,"<p>

He turned himself around again, "Just because you like the feel of her hand in your hand and the look of her in the morning...or in the afternoon...or just before she goes to bed and you can see the tiredness build in her eyes..." He put his head in his hands, running them through his hair before moving his eyes away from the floor and to the mirror standing in front of him on the wall, "Why are you still talking to yourself?" he asked his reflection dead in the eye, but out came no reply, and instead, he watched it take two sharp breathes as he did so, and removed the silencing charm around the room, opting to go downstairs and watch a movie or two to distract himself from his mixed up thoughts on feelings he oh so obviously didn't have.

* * *

><p>"There's a letter for you on the doormat." Hermione called from the kitchen once she heard the familiar sound of footsteps creaking down her tired stairs.<p>

"Thanks." the man mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning pretense that he had just woken up.

The man reached down for the white envelope and flipped it over to reveal the blue and white letterings of 'NHS' standing on the header.

He had learned this was never a good sign.

Sighing, he took it into the kitchen and threw himself down lazily on a previously straightened chair.

"I didn't realise you told them my address." Hermione stated a little forcefully, her back to him as she flicked her wand towards a pan that lay on the stove, which flipped itself back and forth on command.

"Sorry, I had to as of yesterday. Or whenever it was. The days have all gone on so long." He was still staring at the undisturbed white envelope, unsure whether he wanted to read what it held inside.

"Well, maybe if you came downstairs a little more and helped with the housework you wouldn't have that problem." The woman snapped, a mixing spoon still in her

hand as she forcefully swept a price of hair from her face.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, looking up to watch her as soon as he heard her stressed tones.

"Yeah, I'm just not used to cooking for two, that's all." She tried to be more calm, but the words just came out more angry.

A piece of hair came out of it's messy bun again, forcing the woman to pin it back behind her ear again, to which it refused to stay and popped back out in front of her face. Hermione slammed the spoon down on the surface, grumbling under her breath as she tugged her hair from her bobble and re-did her hair, a clip dangling from her teeth ready to be put back into the mess.

"Why don't we go out for lunch instead?" Draco asked softly, standing up to get ready.

"Are you joking?" She asked, turning around sharply to him, her eyebrows raised as she gestured around her at the stove and various chopped vegetables laid out on the counter beside her, "After I've done all this? I don't think so." She gave a small laugh before turning her back again to him, a small shake of her head following behind her body.

A small "Oh." was all Draco could muster as

he sat back down and continued to watch her back work as she peeled and chopped, much to Draco's amusement, as he was sure there were plenty spells that could be used for such trivial tasks.

"Are you just going to sit there and watch me?" The woman asked, turning around again to him, her teeth bared.

"No, I, of course not," Draco stumbled to his feat, confused at why she was being so hot-headed with him.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked from behind her, straining his head to look at her face as she bent down infront of him to put a dish of some kind in the oven.

"Why don't you get the milk out of the fridge?"

"Right. Milk." Draco turned on his heel a little too fast, knocking the back of Hermione and forcing her to bang her head on the top of the oven.

"Ow!" She screamed, a hand straight to her head as soon as she was stood up fully, the oven door lay wide open.

"Oh shit!" Draco shouted, turning back to the woman, dancing around behind her unsure what to do.

"Just sit down!" She told him angrily as she reached for for a towel to rinse under the water.

"Right. Sit. Yes," Draco was now completely confused, and extremely embarrassed as he dawdled to sit back down, continuing to watch the woman behind him to make sure she was okay.

"Oh fuck!" He announced after banging his side into the side of the table after not watching where he was going, sending the table screeching over the stone floor.

"Oh just get out!" Hermione practically screeched, leaving no time for Draco to argue against her before she threw the damp paper towel she was previously holding to her throbbing head, straight in Draco's direction.

Hurriedly, Draco grabbed his still unopened letter and practically ran out of the door, not even checking back to watch the stressed woman crumple onto the floor, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

><p>"What should I do?" She asked herself, dragging her hand through her hair before taking it out of its ponytail again and slumping further down onto the floor, so one of the cupboard's handles was forcing it was into her back, not that she was in any state to let it win and move herself.<p>

"I need to help him; but I can't just let him go on like this, living day after day in her spare bedroom. The sooner I get this house back to myself the better." Hermione dropped her head, sobbing harder as she let the guilt of what she just said wash over.

And then suddenly her head was back up, a hand on one cheek as her eyes opened wide in astonishment, "The library!"

"Draco, I'm going out!" She called up to the celling, crooning her neck as she shouted, before standing up and apperating outside of The Leaky Cauldron.


	13. Chapter 12

Hermione walked purposely down Diagon Alley, her feet leading her body down the familiar route to her second favourite place. Normally, she would stop and admire the goods on sale outside each of the old shops, but today she had somewhere to be on time.  
>Upon reaching the end of the Alley, Hermione turned right and then left down a dark, narrow, passageway, littered with old sweet wrappers and pumpkin juice bottles, which she looked disdainfully at and whispered a quick charm to clear them. As she came out of the alleyway, the woman turned again to see a small building made from ageing wood slanting towards her, standing precariously lopsided.<br>Hermione breathed in the homely scent of old books as she opened the door, a small smile on her lips as she moved forward of the threshold to see numerous wizards and witches balancing books in mid-air as they walked from a bookshelf to a table, or rows of books opened in front of them as they studied with a quill in their mouth as they uttered the words on the page to themselves. There was even a children's corner, where tales of Harry Potter stood out in bright colours with fraying edges. Hermione could remember the day her own books about Harry had come out. She'd wrote seven novels condensing the adventures of Harry into words-there had been a giant ceremony in the tiny library, people queuing up on the streets, young children getting pictures with Harry. They'd never imagined them to go down that well; there was talk of them reaching the muggle world, under a different author's name. Admittedly, Hermione hadn't wrote Draco in the best of light, but she had done what she could with the characters she had-and both Harry and Ron had been influential editors on a certain few Death Eaters-not that she doubted Draco even having a copy. Of course, Hermione had all proceeds go to the refurbishment of Hogwarts, that had been left more than scarred after The Battle.  
>And now, every time she walked in here, a giant poster with herself standing next to Harry and Ron, three of the books held tightly in their hands as they all smiled with glee, reminded her of the friendship she had lost in the years to follow. Turning her eyes away from her own books, this always gave her a burst of pride to see, Hermione walked towards the Muggle book section.<br>The woman searched the top of the tall shelves until reaching the "medical" stack of dusted, fraying books.  
>"C...C...Conjunctivitis...Cold...Claustrophobia..." Hermione read the names out load as her eyes scanned the shelves, her feet leading her down the path of book spines,<br>"ah-ha," The woman announced as she found her destination, "Cancer," she almost smiled as her hand reached out to grab the book in front of her, which she was half surprised to find there.  
>Hermione lifted the heavy book into her arms and set towards one of the secluded tables at the back of the library, where she usually sat to avoid the noise. She heaved the book down with a small groan before straightening out her skirt and sitting down and opening the book.<br>On the front page was a list of every different type of cancer, handwritten notes from various witches and wizards, healers and alchemists alike, adding to the never ending list of names of where a human can get the deadly disease.  
>Scrolling through the list with her index finger, Hermione found the long name of what Draco had described, and turned to the correct page near the middle of the huge book. The book was fairly new, in comparison to most, but even so, the pages had illegible scribbles from previous owners dotted all around the page, explaining or expanding on the muggle version, or crossing that out and adding their own findings in. And of course, there was no doubt in Hermione's mind that any of the inscriptions were wrong-typed or otherwise.<br>Taking great care she allowed her finger to glide down the page, taking in the words and being vigilant with what clues could be hidden between the scribbles. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but all she knew was that there must be something in here that would lead her to helping Draco. A cure or a symptom blocker, she didn't care, as long as she found a way to help somehow.

She promised herself she'd sit there for hours if she had to, even return to the library as much as possible until she found something. All it took was one small detail - Hermione knew that. If she learned anything at Hogwarts it was the smallest of clues that could lead to great things. She never had the chance to do that for Draco, not that she had ever thought she would have. Her eyes sharpened onto the lettering, small print reading how the "patient" would feel with this deadly disease, describing in detail the harsh reality that anyone like Draco would have to face: constant headaches, ringing in the ears, loss of balance, uncontrollable nose bleeds, unconsciousness, spasms..the list went on. Basically, Draco was a ticking time bomb as a little worm wriggled it's way around his brain, eating but by bit until there was nothing left. There was a sharp intake of breath. A moment caught off guard. Hermione had read many graphic details during her time at the Ministry but this was different. She had seen parts of his suffering, been there when he was weak. Now she was looking for something with no guarantee of saving him. It was inevitable. If she failed then the suffering she witnessed would get worse until...no. The thought couldn't cross her mind, not now. Pressing on she read the side notes: potions that had been attempted, herbs that had been crushed into drinks but no solid evidence. Nothing to say this was the definite answer to survival.  
>But she had to find this cure and she couldn't be lead astray by false information, or misleading thoughts added by other curious minds who dared add to the words on the paper. Maybe there were more books? More libraries? Somewhere there must be someone who knows what it's like to survive this deadly disease?<br>Turning over the page her finger fell under the title: Treatment. A list followed of muggle procedures; surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and more drugs than she could count with her fingers alone. Each a guiding step to increasing his chances of survival but as for a definite cure, there was no guarantee. Only hope. Right now she needed much more than hope.

"Sometimes brain tumours are diagnosed too advanced to be cured with treatment. Treatment may shrink the tumour, slowing down its progress and giving the patient a longer term of life. However this depends on how the patient responds to the treatment and the growth of the tumour. Some patients may respond well to treatment but have the tumour return some time later."  
>Hermione read down the page, each time reading every paragraph that offered any hint two or three times until she fully understood. It was a difficult subject for someone without Healing talents, but as always, she managed to wrap her head around it and understand.<br>Some pages where quick and easy-filled with facts and percentages, survival rates and drug dosages. Others where not so promising. Some even horrifying. One page had been scratched with ink, clearly written by a witch or wizard who had lost someone-the words screaming out to muggles who had failed to save their beloved one.  
>One message above all struck Hermione's nerves-her eyes narrowing at the message written in thick jet blank ink, the quill having once threatened to tear the page having written:<br>"The carrier of this demon will have been one who led a life following death, chasing evil as he grew surrounded by sin and vermin. It is only those who have wished to kill that shall be killed in such a manner. Only the small act of bravery once hidden in his life will save him from death."  
>Hermione's hands gripped tightly at the pages. Her stomach was knotted; her chest tight, she could feel herself wanting to slam the book shut. To stop now and find another solution or somewhere else to go. Only she had two more pages. This witch or wizard was just angry; she had to remind herself of that. And even if it were true, that it was evil that had latched onto Draco-hadn't he tried to save Harry? He had lied once to save a life, and it had worked.<br>Hermione sighed and shook her head; she couldn't be fooled into such folly when the pressing matter was at hand.  
>Turning once more the scribbles didn't stop but neither did the information. Another's handwriting, one more much gentle was flickering beneath the angry storm of hatred that had stained the final few pages of this chapter. Pulling it closer she edged past the anger and towards that one clue she was looking for.<br>"Alchemists have found one element that has been known to work on few witches and wizards. While difficult to find the..." The blue ink read, pushed in between the harsh words of the previous owner, the last lines having to be forced onto the next page.  
>This was it. The answer she was looking for. Her eyes scanned across, her heart beating with excitement until she was greeted by a torn page. Moving her eyes across to read the final details, Hermione was greeted to more print. Odd. Surely these notes should have continued to the next page?<br>She looked down. Page 132 was next greeted by 135. Where was 133? Alchemists had found what? What did she have to look for? She searched back and forth, opening the front of the book again and even looking beneath her pile of notes to see if the page had fallen from her long hours of research. Looking back one final time the angry letters returned on page 135 saying;  
>"You're too late."<p>

The note stopped so abruptly. She had no interest for what was on page 135, only a brief outline on another cancer she had no interest in. But what was it she had to find? What had been known to cure witches and wizards? Then, as she followed the words again she stared into the centre of the book-the remains of the page that had been torn out were left in the centre. Someone had taken it. Or had she misplaced it?  
>In quick haste she started to search through the piles of books that surrounded her, madly lifting up notes and even pulling lose notes from her pockets-she was one page away from the answers she had been looking for! One little sentence!<p>

"I'm sorry Miss. The library has just closed. We should be asking you to-"  
>Hermione's head dropped into the book as her heart plummeted, she hadn't even heard the bell toll to signal the closing.<br>"Do you have any more books on cancer?" She asked, running her hand through her hair and sitting back up straight.  
>"Excuse me?"<br>"Please, just anything else?" Hermione looked up to the stern librarian in front of her, a pleading look on her face as she registered her old friend.  
>Her desperation was growing. She knew the answers existed; she just had to spend a bit more time finding them.<br>With a sigh the manager rubbed his brow and shook his head,  
>"Just for you, Miss Granger." The plump man's face softened as he pointed towards the same case she had started with, "Over there, middle shelf. However the library <em>has<em> closed."  
>"Thank you, Michael." She cut in, and before being sure to grab the book, Hermione rushed over to the shelves she was directed to.<p>

Almost blindly, Hermione grabbed at the spines of random books to check their covers, looking for any familiar name. After grabbing three, labelled with various puns involving cancer, the woman balanced the books on her knee, each opened out on the contents page, which she scanned with a pointed finger for any indication of brain tumours. These books were just like the first, if not more modern. They all still had noted writing inside the front, but she couldn't be sure about the actual pages.  
>Collapsing onto the floor, Hermione kneeled down with all four books spread open on the now correct pages as she anxiously skimmed each one for any indication of the same handwriting. For the end if the sentence.<br>Her eyes kept meeting that little "the" that was littered haphazardly at the very edge of the page of the first book-she wasn't even trying to compare handwriting, her eyes just kept moving to the tiny letters, as if trying to bore into them as to get that all important end of the sentence from the ink itself.  
>But there was nothing, not even a tiny miniscule of indication that that sentence finished. The only thing to show for the missing puzzle was the fragments of torn page left by the owner who had disembodied it. Hermione ignored the "you're too late" and poured through each book laid out in front of her to find any piece of scrap paper-even going as far as lifting them by their spines and shaking them upside down, ruffling the pages as to get the missing 113rd page.<p>

"Come on Miss Granger, I'm closing now." Michael was stood over hear, his heel to her cheek.  
>Hermione lifted her face off the floor and pulled her arm from underneath the shelf, "Are you sure?"<br>"Yes…" He wasn't sure if she was joking, but he was growing impatient, "And you can't take them with you, you know." He nudged one of the still open books with the side of his shoe.  
>"I know, I know." Hermione dropped her head again, stood up off the floor, replacing the books back on their shelves before dusting herself off.<br>"Any luck?" The man asked, waving his wand silently at the lights above Hermione's head.  
>"What does it look like?"<br>"I'm sorry, miss-you'll just have to come back tomorrow," The man told her as he led them through the eerily dark and empty library, before adding, "You're presence here is always most welcome."  
>"Thankyou, Michael." She managed a little smile before dropping her shoulders in forlornness and exiting the building onto the now equally dark street.<p> 


	14. Chapter 13

Draco awoke a little short of mid morning to be greated by a note, hovering mid air at the bottom of the staircase, announcing that Hermione had "gone to the library".

He could only presume she meant the little known about establishment at the end of Diagon Alley, to which his father had been a well established founder, and not the famous Hogwarts library thousands of miles away.

Sighing to himself, and grumbling under his breath at the incompetence of her absence, Draco walked into the sitting room and headed straight to the kitchen, where he made himself busy by charming the bread and butter to make themselves useful and create toast. _Life would be just so much easier if there was a house-elf here_, was all Draco could think as he watched the bread hover to the oven and set itself on the grill, the door banging shut automatically.

* * *

><p>It had been a week, but Hermione had been in the library again since it opened at 7am, sat in the same position as she had been every day. She'd been going in every available space between work and and outings with friends and her mum. Draco still had no idea, even though it was almost the only thing to occupy her brain. Numerous books found their way into her brain; yet as she flipped through the pages and searched through the shelves, all she was lead to was more rumours, more additions, more guesses-but no answers. Nothing to say that someone had survived. Not one single story. Nothing. She could have sat there till the wick of her candle had burned out, sat in the shadows alone but all the details held nothing significant. Not even a sense of direction.<p>

Words and letters scrambled their way into her brain, some making sense, but none connecting to that all important sentence which she knew held the key. Hermione has never believed in ripping books, but now her faith in keeping them scared had been secured. There was just something in that rushed, quick handwriting that made Hermione passionate on the fact the end or the sentence held the key, knew the answers, had the cure.

* * *

><p>Towards the later end of mid-day, Hermione closed the books in front of her with a sigh and placed them back onto the shelves, little further into her quest than when she had first thought of it. Removing herself from the library, Hermione existed and made her way towards the main Alley.<p>

Stepping aside to let a mother and child pass her, Hermione strolled the familiar route in search for something to eat. Her mind circulated all she had read in the past two days, the clues and the symptoms and the ideas and the hopeless rambles that spilled out in every book, the same lifeless words just typed onto a page with no meaning behind them.

After all this reading and research, Hermione could probably become a Healer, if she practised enough. The thought made her laugh slightly as she lost herself, and then she suddenly remembered what Draco had said, that his mother had been a Healer; that she had said there was no cure for this. Part of her wanted to believe that Mrs Malfoy had only been saying that because maybe she didn't want her son to go through with it? Go through with the treatment. Draco had been outcasted by his family for wanting to get help with the illness-well, as far as she was aware, that was the reason.

Casting her eyes to her right, Hermione allowed the smell of freshly baked bread to flood her nostrils as the warm fumes floated to her from a large stand displaying a variety of pumpkin, cinnamon, lime, chocolate and all kinds of filled loaves in a hundred different sizes. Giving in to the temptation, Hermione picked up a still hot, liquorice and almond plaited loaf and took it into the main body of the bakery with a distracted care.

_Shit._

All Hermione could think of was a whole host of swear words as she gazed upon the lanky body of Ronald Weasley leaning haphazardly across the counter as he flirted with the young woman on the till. Trying to go unnoticed, Hermione pretended to peer into the glass case of cakes as she watched the redhead from her peripheral vision, using the reflection of the glass to track his movements away from her.

"Would you like anything?" A soft voice suddenly rang in her direction,  
>Sighing inwardly at the fact she couldn't get by unnoticed, Hermione raised her head and handed the cashier the bread with a smile.<br>Hermione turned her body slightly away from Ron and watched the assistant bag the bread and walk towards the till.  
>"That will be one Sickle please."<br>Hermione's heart plummeted as she realised there was no way out of walking near to the man who was starting to lose his attention on the jar of cinnamon sticks that he was currently admiring. She took tentative steps towards the corner of the room, where the till and both other occupants of the extremely small shop stood.  
>Hermione extracted her purse from her bag and handed over the coin, and received her parcel from the woman,<p>

"Thankyou." She smiled automatically, then realised she had spoke and blood rushed to her cheeks as she tried to turn away quickly.  
>"Hermione?" Ron's deep voice was behind her ear.<br>Hermione stopped dead in her tracks, "Shit." She breathed out, turning around on the balls of her feet.  
>"I didn't even notice you." Ron looked stunned, oblivious to the fact Hermione had been purposely trying to go unseen by him.<br>"Me neither." Her voice broke slightly as she tried a forced smile, directed in Ron's general direction as she avoided trying to look at him.  
>"I've been trying to look for you all day." Ron answered, marvel still in his voice as he deflected her hidden coldness.<br>"Have you?" She asked, her voice snapping under the strain to stay light.  
>"Yeah," Ron glanced at the shop assistant, who was now arranging a new display on the window, and then turned back to Hermione, "Look, do you fancy going out for lunch or something? I really want to speak to you."<br>"Er, I don't know." She replied, taking a step backwards towards the open doorway.  
>"Please, 'Mione," His voice sounded pleading, his eyes softening, causing her heart to stiffen as she tried not to give into him, "I need to talk to you."<br>Hermione allowed herself to look into his eyes and her heart softened, giving in under the pressure, "Okay."

Relieved, Ron showed Hermione to the door and led her outside into the golden light of the day which shined into their eyes and made the edges of eachother blurry as they stood looking at one another in an awkward but needed silence.  
>"So..." Ron started, bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly as he nervously brushed a hand through his shining hair.<br>Growing weary of the awkwardness between them, Hermione rolled her eyes and looked up at the man, "Look, Ron," Hermione sighed, her words hanging in the air as she saw Ron's face look down at her own, the ghost of his boyhood showing on his face,  
>"I'm starving, so can we...get this over with?" Her voice shifted as she smiled and tried to make the harsh statement sound less sarcastic and more polite.<br>Hermione really wasn't one for bitterness, but when it came to Ronald Weasley, she couldn't help but want to be nothing but sour to him.  
>"Well...where do you want to go?" Ron asked, looking up at her through a sheepish smile as he sunk his hands into his pockets.<br>He'd suddenly gone from a cocky and confident man, flirting with the baker's daughter, to a shy and awkward boy who was begging for forgiveness under Hermione's watch. It almost made her pity him."I don't know, Ron," she breathed out, exasperated, "this was your idea!" she let out a shaky laugh which fizzled out as soon as he bowed his head in despair.  
>"This was a bad idea, wasn't it." Ron mumbled, his face still at his chest as his hands went deeper into his pockets.<br>"No, it's really not..." Hermione probably could have told him it was needed, that the elephant in the room was suddenly being noticed and maybe they should talk rather than argue, but right now, in the middle of the street, wasn't the right time. "You know I've never been able to decide where we go to eat!" She smiled widely and forced herself to give off a convincing laugh, which must have worked as Ron looked up at her with a small smile, agreeing.

* * *

><p>Finally seated opposite each other, in a homely styled cafe at the end of the Alley, Ron tried to make small talk as they both reflectively looked over the set menus.<br>"So did you get that case I gave you, at work." Ron coughed into his fist, and the placed the menu down in front of him and looked at Hermione through watery eyes.  
>"Erm, yeah." The woman answered, thinking back to the amount of work she had preoccupied herself from.<br>"What did you think?"  
>"It was er...certainly interesting." Hermione raised her eyebrows, then discarded the menu and smiled at Ron.<p>

The case was certainly interesting, a group of Hogwarts students had, according to Neville and his associates at the school, captured a 'high level spirit' which was apparently now was dying to break free and try and wreck havoc in the school. It seems, to Hermione at least, that Neville had yet to get over the fear of the Hogwarts ghosts.  
>"Are you gonna go and check it out?" Ron asked hopefully, staring at her intently as she raised a glass of water to her lips.<br>"Maybe…" she placed the glass back down on the table and watched as a waiter walked towards them, "It'll probably be a long time before I go back to Hogwarts," She smiled and waited for Ron to make a final check of his menu as the waiter came further towards them, "No doubt it's a hoax, anyway."  
>"I don't think so…" Ron answered hurriedly, "I'll have a Bacon and Tomato Sandwich." Ron directed up to the waiter with a grin, pausing his train of thought.<br>"And I'll have a pasta carbonara, please." Hermione smiled up at him once he had scribbled down Ron's order.  
>The casually suited waiter smiled at them both and replaced their menus on the stand beside them, then walked off to serve the next table.<br>"Neville seemed pretty sure." Ron directed back at Hermione again.  
>"Neville always seems pretty sure of a lot of things." Hermione smiled toothily, allowing herself to grin at her friend's expense.<br>"Yeah…but was it useful?" Ron asked, trying to subtly press his input.  
>"I guess, as I said: it was interesting." She smiled and drank another gulp of her drink before turning to look out of the window.<br>"You should look into it."  
>"I probably will."<p>

Silence fell between the two again as Hermione continued to stare absently out of the window, her mind drifting from what she'd read-or hadn't read-in the library, to the random and unimportant file sitting on her desk about a Hogwarts ghost to Draco sitting on her sofa eating up her film collection, to anything that would stop this little burning ball of fire that was growing in her stomach every time she thought of the man sat opposite her.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked, trying to meet her gaze as she failed to blink for about a minute and a half.  
>"Oh," Hermione exclaimed, shaking her head as she came back into the present and turned back to Ron, "yeah, I'm good-just lost myself."<br>"You always used to do that." Ron laughed slightly and then let his face drop as the words sank in.  
>"Yeah…" Hermione let her shoulders fall as she dropped her head slightly, her teeth biting down gently on her lower lip as she fought for soothing to say to lighten the suddenly damp mood.<p>

"Look, Hermion-" Ron started, but was suddenly interjected by Hermione,  
>"Do we have to do this now?" She asked, exasperated.<br>"Why not?" He asked defensively, hurt ringing though in his voice as his face fell further.  
>"Because, for once, I want to be able to sit down with one of my…old best friends and be able to have a good time." She plastered a smile on her lips but her eyes didn't show amusement.<br>"This is the first time we've spoken properly in months." He nodded in agreement, inadvertently discounting, yet referencing, the two meetings they'd encounter in the past month which hadn't ended well.  
>"Yeah, well..." Hermione trailed off, feeling the punch in the stomach.<br>"Hermione," Ron started, taking a deep breath as he waiting for Hermione to look back up at him, "what are you doing with him?"  
>"With who?" She asked back, suddenly defensive as she momentarily forgot about their last meeting.<br>"You know who..." He lowered his voice and lent slightly towards her, "Malfoy!"  
>"Oh!" Hermione could have laughed at the suspense, "I'm not." She added casually, then took her plate off the floating tray in front of her and then passed it to Ron.<br>"Then why did you-he say he was with you?" He asked, confused, as he took his own plate.  
>"I said nothing of the sort!" Hermione exclaimed defensively.<br>Ron turned a deep shade of red as his embarrassment showed up to his ears, "Maybe not you, but he definitely did!"  
>"Well...he's not." She said the words to reassure Ron, but somewhere inside her sunk as she realised the truth behind the simple phrase.<br>"Will he ever be?"  
>Hermione shook her head a little sorrowfully, "No." She breathed out, then looked back up at Ron, who was staring at her with concern.<p>

"Then what was he doing in your office?"  
>"Probably the same thing you were?" Hermione picked up her fork and stared at the pasta in front of her, "That's what I walked into anyway."<br>"I'm sorry, about that, but-"  
>"But what, Ron?" Hermione interjected, "Draco is my friend and you damn well beet him up in my office." She stabbed at her pasta before thrusting a forkful in her mouth.<br>"He's not innocent in it!"  
>"I never said he was!" She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes before lowering down her fork and looking Ron in the eyes, "All I'm saying is, something that I haven't been completely honest with Harry and you about, is that..." She took a moment to find the words, before carrying in with a softer voice, "Ma-Draco came to me at the start of the month, and asked for my help. So that's what I'm giving him."<br>"Help?" His voice was full of disgust.  
>"Help." She nodded, taking another helping of pasta, "And if you and Harry and whoever aren't happy with that, then we'll just carry on being...distant, or whatever the hell we are now."<p>

"I still love you Hermione." Ron said deeply, his voice echoing his expression.  
>Hermione's eyes flickered back to his, not sure what to say-she wasn't expecting this reaction.<br>"Aren't you angry at me for letting Draco into my life, after everything?"  
>"Hermione, he set an enlargement charm on your teeth in second year-"<br>"-Something of which my parents were proud of, I do believe Madame Pomfrey made a perfectly good job of giving me _normal_ teeth."  
>"-and if you're happy to help someone like <em>that<em>," Ron pressed on, ignoring her defensive comment, "then you're a better person than I am." He smiled sincerely, and then raised the sandwich to his lips.  
>Something in Hermione melted as he said the words-admittedly, the image was ruined as soon as he took a messy bite out of the large burger-but she didn't have enough empathy left in her to comment on his heartfelt statement.<br>"Ron, if you don't mind, then why did I walk in on you two going at eachother like second years over my desk?"  
>"Because...because I didn't think," He looked fleetingly back at her again, "I just lost it. The thought of you two together ma-made me feel sick and I just...I guess I just saw red." He shrugged, and carried on eating, both their appetites the stomach of their conversation as Hermione tried to think of how to properly respond.<p>

"Have you told Harry?" Hermione asked as they finished off the last of their meals.  
>"No-I thought you should."<br>"Is that why you came to see me today? To try and get me to tell Harry I was /seeing Draco?" She laughed a little at the wit of it, of course that was the reason; she had just thought it was a fleeting visit he had try and pretend was planned.  
>"No," He answered, searching her eyes, "I came to find you to tell you that-even if you were with Malfoy-that I still love you and I want another chance."<br>Another stone dropped in Hermione's stomach as she sat, her fork suspended midway to her mouth, and let the words sink in.  
>"Still love me?" She croaked, trying to find the status quo.<br>"Of course I still love you, 'Mione." Ron scoffed, setting down his burger and placing his hand further down the table, so it was almost touching hers.  
>"I-I..." Hermione started, at a loss for words as she removed her hand from the table and onto her lap sharply.<br>"Was this a bad idea?" Ron asked, more to himself, as he brought his arm back towards himself slowly.  
>"No, no." Hermione told him automatically, shaking her head for emphasis.<br>"I didn't expect you to feel the same way," Ron smiled at her, replacing the burger back in his hand casually, "as I said, I thought you were with Malfoy."  
>"And you were just going to tell me anyway?" Hermione looked up through shaded eyes, already knowing the answer.<br>"Of course." He watched her reaction as she lowered her head, her heart sinking as she shrivelled back into a small hole within herself.

"Can we have the bill please?" Ron asked a passing waiter, after an uncomfortable, thick silence crept over the table again.  
>"Certainly, I'll be right over." The waiter's words were left hanging in the air as the two smiled at him and reached for their money.<br>"No, no, it's okay." Ron reassured Hermione as she retrieved her purse from her bag.  
>"No, I can pay for myself." She smiled, dread flooding over her.<br>The waiter came back and placed a small scroll on the middle of the table, which they both peered over, the tops of their heads touching slightly.  
>"Please, let me." The man smiled, his expression and mind set.<br>He started taking the coins out of his wallet, Hermione's eyes watching as he counted out the change.  
>"No, it's fine." Hermione stated, unzipping the small bag.<br>"I want to pay."  
>"Ron, this isn't a date." Hermione told him firmly, placing a hand on wallet.<br>The man stopped and took a deep breath, before nodding and putting his wallet back in his pocket.

"I'm sorry." He admitted, watching as Hermione placed her own money down.  
>"No, I am," Hermione said sorrowfully, looking up to see Ron's fallen face, "How about you come back to mine?" The words came out bf she could stop them, the request coming out as she lost herself in the moment, "Catch up on old times?" She found herself suggesting as she managed a smile.<br>"Are you sure?" His voice had perked up, but he was evidently trying to stop his face from showing the same excitement.  
><em>No.<em> Hermione thought to herself, "Of course I'm sure." Hermione laughed, pushing herself out from the table as she inwardly scolded herself with a small wince.


	15. Chapter 14

"I've missed this place," Ron breathed out with a sigh as he looked up at the outside of the home he used to share as Hermione unlocked the door, "it's hardly changed a bit."

He couldn't help but smile as memories came back to him as he stepped in over the threshold of the door.

"Just wait a second," Hermione stressed, her back to Ron as she opened the door to the living room, checking if Draco was in the room, however, she found that and the kitchen joining empty, except for the occasional discarded sweet wrapper. "Okay, you can come in." The woman called into the hallway to Ron, who was checking out the single pair of man's shoes left beside the door.

Ron entered the familiar room, taken aback by how much the interior had changed, from the wall colour, to the decorations, to the furniture. Everything had been rearranged and reshaped-the only thing that remained standing in the same position, seemingly untouched was his old rack of muggle videos.

"I like what you've done with the place." Ron lied after a moment of him taking in the room.

"Yeah, I redecorated to the way I wanted it." Hermione smiled sarcastically, a fake smile on her lips for a split second as she brought in two mugs of coffee into the sitting room.

"Of course." Ron muttered under his breath, taking the steaming mug with a nod and sitting down on the couch behind him. He knew the sweet plaster they'd put on the day would rub off again eventually, he just wished the sourness hasn't come in quite so quickly.

"I'm glad you like it." Hermione smiled genuinely, reminding herself to treat him like any other guest, and to just ignore the pounding of her heart that was punching her chest with every beat.

"Yeah, it's very...homely." He was running out of words, Hermione confusing him with every sentence she spoke. He sipped his coffee in silence.

"Remember when we bought this house?" Hermione asked suddenly, the mug half way to her lips.

"Well, your parents bought it," Ron laughed slightly, looking around the room again, "but yeah, I remember when we looked around and stuff."

"That was a lot of work."

"Yeah..." Ron trailed off again, thinking to himself how just living with Hermione was a lot of work.

"We had some good days, didn't we." Hermione smiled to herself, nursing the coffee mug in her hands.  
>"Yeah, bloody amazing," Ron laughed slightly, a smile of remembrance etched on his face. "I'll never forget when we babysitter Teddy for the first time."<br>"Oh my goodness!" Hermione laughed out loud, a hand covering her mouth as she let giggles take over, "And he nearly broke the TV by staring at too long!"  
>"I think we lost him under the sofa for a while, too." Ron laughed smartly, little chuckles adding colour to his face.<br>"A good hour," The woman continued to laugh, shaking her head slightly at the memory, "And you tried to coax him out by enlarging a Chocolate Frog!"  
>Ron laughed at the stupidity he could admit to, his smile widening as he watched Hermione laugh like he hadn't seen her do in a ing while.<br>"We were petrified at the time, but you can't help but laugh now."  
>"How is Teddy?" Hermione asked once her laughter had passed, leaving her a little breathless.<br>"He's good-growing up fast."  
>"How do you think Harry's going to cope with a little one of his own?" Hermione had almost forgotten, but it was something she couldn't really forget.<br>"He's had enough practice with Ted, but he's still scared-you saw that the other week," Ron swallowed, "I just hope he sorted it all out with Gin."  
>"Yeah…me too." Hermione said seriously, her grin disappearing momentarily.<br>"It'll be scary seeing him a dad though, won't it."  
>"Definitely." Hermione breathed out a long breath, her chest tightening slightly under the realisation.<br>"I guess I've always just thought we'd be the first of us to have the kids." Ron laughed slightly, his ears turning pink.  
>"I guess so." Hermione chuckled slightly, taking a sip of her drink awkwardly.<p>

"Harry'll be a great dad." Ron stated after a moment.  
>"Oh yeah," Hermione nodded in agreement, "Even Victoire, she adores him."<br>"Everybody adores Harry," Ron scoffed slightly, "So that kind of doesn't count."  
>Hermione smiled widely, watching as Ron laughed at his own joke, "You know what I mean, he is great with all the kids."<br>"Better than Ginny anyway, she always seems to be in the kitchen hiding every Christmas, avoiding the mess and excited screams."  
>"Christmasses at the Burrow were always the best."<br>Hermione's heart warmed as she pictured the scene of Molly and Arthur sitting beside the fire, young Victoire, Dominique and Louis playing with Harry and George, Teddy and his grandmother holding baby Fred as Ron and herself laughed at a joke long ago told.  
>"You should come this year, mum'd love to see you there." Ron said seriously, trying to keep the plea out of his voice.<br>"Yeah, I'll see-I don't know if I'm taking work off though yet."  
>"You should, give yourself a break."<br>"I've given myself enough breaks." Hermione laughed a little, although she knew he was right.

"What, like one weekend?"  
>"There was that time when we went up back to Hogwarts with Harry, and then when we went to Wales with my parents. It's all time added up."<br>"They were great times though." Ron smiled slightly, memories flooding back again.  
>"I'm not denying that at all."<p>

"Remember the World Cup?" As soon as Ron said the words his face dropped,

"How could I forget?" Hermione's voice switched sour, her chest rising and falling as a knife twisted in her gut, sparking up the memory she wanted most to forget.

"I-I didn't mean..._that_." Ron coughed slightly, embarrassed at the subject they'd been avoiding for so long.

"What did you mean then?" Hermione laughed bitterly, standing up.

"The trip-the trip itself, I mean." Ron corrected, standing up and following Hermione into the kitchen.

The woman went over to the sink and started the tap, washing her empty mug under the running water angrily, "That was okay, I guess."

"The game was good." Ron smiled despite wanting to cry, trying to keep the conversation light.

"Hmm..." Hermione thought for a moment, "Forgettable." she added sarcastically.

"I liked it." He told her, passing her his own used cup.

"I bet you did." The woman laughed again, taking the mug off Ron aggressively before banging it into the sink and walking out of the room, leaving Ron to turn off the tap.

"Don't do that." He said sadly, coming back into the room, his shoulders hunched.

"Don't do what?" She span around, her face red, "Bring it up?"

"Yeah..." He knew even without her scoffing that it was pathetic.

"What did you think would happen? It was going to be brought up eventually."

"I know, I just didn't-"

"Didn't think?" Hermione interrupted with raised eyebrows, "That's because you never do." The woman sniffed, rolling her eyes as Ron tried to defend himself.

Ron suddenly broke down, his bright red face breaking as he contorted into himself, tears running down his cheeks, "I'm not sure of the way it was, I mean-I don't know what I could have done."

"Well, I know what you couldn't have done." Hermione retorted sarcastically, folding her arms across her chest.

"I planned to tell you," he stumbled on the words, running them into each other as his sobs rang out louder, "but at first I was so confused. I didn't know what to say, how to tell you." he pleaded, his arms outstretched, reaching for Hermione.

"That's your excuse for not telling me?" Hermione shrieked, disbelief pouring out of her voice.

"You dropped me without a word!"

"What did you expect? There's cowardly, Ron, and then there's cruel! Is that who you've become? Because I don't even want to look at you if you have."

"I'm-I'm sorry, I should have told you. Should've explained. But you weren't all that easy to talk to."

"Oh, bullshit, Ronald. Excuses." Hermione shook her head, stumbling back slightly.

"I'm not making excuses!" He shouted down at her, his ears turning pink, "You have no idea what you're like to live with, do you? You were hardly here! And even when you were here, you weren't. Not really."

Hermione looked so taken aback, that Ron had to turn away from her in order to keep his calm.

"You know things got bad at the Ministry at that point. The one time I took a break, and look what happened! And you know I had Harry's books being released." The woman spat out, tears building up in her throat.

"Oh yeah, _Harry's_ books. How could I forget." Ron turned to look at her through narrowed eyes, waiting for her reply.

"For fuck's sake, Ron! You just don't let anything go do you?"

"Says you!" Ron spat out before he had time to think.

Hermione's hand collided with his face without a second's hesitation, her mouth wide in shock as she watched her hand slap against him.

"What was that for?" He asked, his hand on his now flaming cheek, his expression completely stunned.

"For being so...insolent!" She screamed, then clamped a hand to her mouth and turned her face away from him as tears spilled out of her eyes, sobs tearing through the hand over her mouth.

Ron's stomach plummeted as he watched the love of his life cry so innocently in front of him, her shoulders shaking with each cry coming uncontrollably out of her.

"Hermione?" Ron took a tentative step forward, all anger drained out of him like someone had flicked a switch, "Look, I'm sorry." He put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't shake him off, instead turning to face Ron, her eyes gleaming with fresh tears.

"I hate you." As soon as she'd said the knife cutting words, she'd crashed her lips into Ron's, her hand suddenly on his head as she pushed him further into her.

Ron didn't hold back, and in turn pushed his hands through Hermione's hair, bringing her closer to their already locked mouths.

"I heard shout...?" Draco's voice suddenly came to a standstill as he caught sight of the pair in front of him, entangled in each other's arms as their faces merged together.

Automatically, Draco's heart melted inside his rib cage, but he couldn't take his eyes away. They hadn't seemed to notice him, and for some reason that made him only angry. A heat rose in his chest as the coldness seeped over his body, pouring out of the edges as he turned on his heel and grabbed the front door, a rush of wind greeting a loud slam that took Hermione out of the trance.

"Draco!" Hermione shouted as she pulled herself away from Ron, disgusted with herself.

"What?" Ron asked, bewildered as his mind fought to come back into life.

Hermione left no time to answer before she too was out of the door and at the bottom of the garden path. Draco was no where to be seen.

"Draco!" Hermione shouted again, fear and shame bubbling in her stomach as she searched the streets, praying to a God she didn't believe in that he hadn't apparated away.

Screeching his name with all the breath left in her, a few muffled "Sorry"s hanging in the air fell beneath her as Hermione ran left as she saw the world though another's eyes, cursing herself as the tears streamed down her face.

Without warning, Hermione spotted a Draco shaped huddle at the side of the road, pushed up against himself with his head hung low to shield his tear soaked face from view.

"Draco." Hermione sighed out, relieved as she slowed to a small jog to meet him at the curb.

"Sorry, I just needed to get away..." Draco trailed off, his head still hung low.

"I-I..." Hermione couldn't find the words, her arms flapping in front of her as she stuttered, her mind shutting down.

"There's no need in apologising." He sniffed, watching out of the corner of his eye as Hermione sighed and sat down next to him.

"I didn't mean that." Hermione shook her head, looking at Draco slightly, her heart melting as she saw the tear tracks on his pale face.

"Didn't mean what?" He knew the answer before it was on Hermione's lips.

"Kissing Ron," she sighed, a tear bubbling up in her own eye, "I...I shouldn't have done it." She let her own head hang in shame as she let out a shaky breath.

"You don't need to apologise to me."

"I do." The words were barely more than a whisper, but Draco heard them clearly.

They were silent for a while, both willing their tears to stop falling as they shivered from the cold, their breath echoing out in front of them. They hadn't said a word about it, but right then they realised together that this upset only meant that they felt something. Something for each other.

"Do you love him?" The sentence had been hanging in the air, but finally the question had been asked-and Hermione had no answer.

"I-I don't know." She let out another sigh, her head shaking slightly in anger at herself.

"You must know!" Draco's voice turned sharp, and he hated himself as soon as he had said it.

"Erm..." Hermione started, taken aback, "Maybe...No."

Another tear fell onto her lap.

"Then wh-" Draco stopped himself short with a sharp intake of breath, forcing himself not to make the pain worse.

"Because, a long time ago, I did..." she blinked and the tears started falling again, "And I guess I just got confused..."

She swallowed, placing a hand on her cheek to wipe away the tears.

They took a moment to pause conversation, as they wiped away their tears, sniffing slightly before the crying ceased altogether.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Draco replied, a beginning of a headache starting to blur at the edges of his eyesight.

"Why did you ask if I love him?" Her pulse stopped as she waited for the answer.

"Because I don't want you to be." His eyes met Hermione's for a split second before turning away again, his fingers intertwining.

Hermione took a sharp intake of breath, her heart beating in her throat, "I've been looking into a cure."

Draco took a double take, not quite realising what she'd said straight away, "what do you mean?"

"I mean, I've been looking into a cure." She repeated, trying not to allow a smile to form on her lips.

"Have...have you found anything?" Draco tried to keep himself calm, Hermione's voice wasn't giving anything away and that always meant bad news.

"Kind of..." Hermione turned her body slightly to properly look at him, "I need to find out more, but I've found something."

"That tells me nothing!" Draco laughed slightly, his mind coming up with a thousand possibilities.

Hermione took a deep breath, "This wasn't how I wanted to tell you."

"That doesn't matter, what have you found?"

"Basically, in the library, there are muggle medical books that alchemists and healers have written in, telling their view on muggle techniques and whatever. I've been reading /lots of books, and I've found a lot of interesting stuff; some useful, some not at all. Saying this, there was one note that left a clue-only someone had ripped out the page before the sentence had finished." Hermione paused to concentrate her frustration, "I've looked everywhere, but I can't find the single page that I'm sure will tell me everything. Every time I feel like I've got closer to it, I end up being even further away."

"Oh..." Draco couldn't help but let his disappointment show as he dropped his gaze from Hermione.

"I'm not going to give up on it." The woman tried to find his eyes again.

"You don't have to do that for me."

"I want to." Hermione smiled slightly, still watching him.

"I'm just scared."

"Of what?"

"Dying...getting more ill...being a burden."

"You're not a burden, not to me anyway." Hermione told him defensively, aghast that he'd ever thought that.

"I might be one day, maybe one day soon-when I get too sick." Draco's shoulders hunched over again, his head dropping into his chest.

"It's not what happens," Hermione placed her hand onto Draco's cold fist, "it's how you deal with it."

Draco's eyes flickered up to hers, their eyes connected and a flutter drowned in their stomachs, they waited a beat. Draco cocked his head slightly to the side, his breath freezing in the air as he parted his lips slightly, edging his face closer to Hermione's. The woman closed her eyes for a moment, leaning in tentatively as she swallowed down any restriction.

His breath was reflecting off her skin, but neither of them noticed. He closed his eyes and removed all space between them. His nose fitted in perfectly beside hers, his lips encasing hers in a beautiful but delicate touch.

She felt herself falling into him, her whole body melting as all coherent thought floated out of her mind, leaving only a buzz in her stomach and a whirlwind in her chest.

He opened his eyes fleetingly and lent back, watching as Hermione, now breathless and slightly rosy cheeked, looked back at him with a smirk.

She bit down on her lower lip, and then rushed into him again, her mouth colliding with his as they breathed each other, all sensation and fear lost in a kiss.


	16. Chapter 15

A.N: MATURE

* * *

><p>"Hermione?" Ron's voice called from above her, and Hermione wanted nothing more than to transfigure herself into a snail and crawl away.<p>

"Ron." She answered, standing up with an inward groan as she straightened her skirt.

"I was going to just disapparate, but I thought that would be somewhat rude."

The snide dig cut into Hermione sharply, but she made no effort to make it register on her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what came over me." She tried to be light, unconvincing even herself.

"I should probably go…" Draco stood up, rubbing the back of his head as he looked at the ground.

"No, don't," Hermione told him somewhat sharply, folding her arms tight against the wind, and the stinging chill that was vibrating through her, "Anything Ron has to say, he can say in front of you."

Ron looked from his ex lover to his ex enemy, trying to take in the scene as they stood shoulder to shoulder against him, "I didn't really have anything much to say," he took a step into Hermione, causing her to stiffen slightly as she sensed the touch of his hot breath on her face,

"I just wanted to remind you that what I said this afternoon is true, and that I do-" he looked fleetingly at Draco, who took a step away from Hermione under his glare, "-love you. I always will. I don't know if you love me, but-"

"Ron," Hermione interjected suddenly, her heart tensing up as she heard the words said again, "I-" the woman looked at Draco, who bowed his head and turned slightly away from the pair, "Please don't hate me when I tell you this-"

"-I could never hate you." All Ron wanted to do was shout the words, but they came out only as above a whisper.

"But,", Hermione carried on, ignoring him, "I've realsied that I'm in love with someone else," The words were probably meant to cause her harm saying, but all she felt was a heightened sense of relief, realising that the words she were saying, even though they weren't intent to be true, probably were.

"What?" Ron looked accusingly at Draco, before turning a confused stare back at Hermione.

"Yeah," she said to herself, nodding her head slightly, "I'm in love with someone else."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, utterly perplexed as he remembered Hermione's lips on his.

"It's all that I know for sure."

Hermione looked up at the man, her eyes meeting his stonily as she tried to say sorry without words.

"Then what was…what was…" Ron stumbled on his words, his lips beginning to quiver.

"That was a mistake…" Hermione hated herself for admitting it, but the truth was suddenly all coming out before she could even think of what she was saying.

"Oh…" There was nothing more the man could say.

"I'm sorry."

"I should go…" He stated awkwardly, his words as quiet as the wind.

"I'm sorry."

"Just forget it."

And before Hermione could let out another heartfelt apology, Ron had turned on his heel and disapparated from sight.

"Who are you in love with?" Draco's voice sounded childlike, innocent against the adult words he was saying.

"What is love?" Hermione deflected the question, her mind blank as she faced up to what she'd just spoken aloud about her feelings.

"Love is being a part of someone else, and someone else being a part of you. Love is looking past all of someone's flaws and still wanting all of them. Love is feeling alive."

Hermione swallowed and turned towards Draco, "I think I'm in love with you."

"That's good, because I think I'm in love with you too."

If there was space to run in between the two, that's what Hermione did as she collided herself once more in Draco, her arms snaking their way up his back as their lips crashed.

Hermione's mind shut down as she listened to the soft silence of the wind, feeling Draco's tongue lick her lips slightly as she parted them for him, allowing him access into all of her. She tried to fight back into his mouth, her tongue exploring him as she felt all of his touch.

"We should probably go back." Draco admitted, smiling into the kiss as he pulled away slightly.

"Probably." Hermione sighed slightly, pouting as she pulled away from Draco and took in the whole of him.

"Probably." He smirked slightly and looked down at his feet, which he could barely feel against the coldness of the stone below, before turning in the direction of Hermione's home.

"I hope he shut the door." Hermione mutter to herself, needing to feel angry at Ron.

"Can I ask you something?" Draco asked tentatively as the two walked back silently.

"Probably." Hermione laughed despite herself, even though she knew Draco was trying to be serious.

"Haha," he fake laughed, waiting until the woman had composed herself before starting again, "I just wanted to ask what happened between you two?"

"Ron and me?"

"Yeah..." Draco trailed off, not quite sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"He slept with someone else." Hermione wait it calmly but Draco was anything but-anger bubbles up inside him as pity washed down him.

"What the-bastard," Draco spat, wanting nothing more than to find the man and kill him, "And you've forgiven him?"

"I just don't care anymore." Hermione smiled up at Draco.

"If I ever see him again I'll k-"

"-No you won't!" Hermione shrieked, horrified.

"He wouldn't have thought twice about killing me in the Ministry!"

"Leave it, Draco. Please." Hermione's voice was suddenly quiet as she lost all hope in the words.

"If that's what you want."

They were at the house again, it seemed as though Ron had had the decency to close the door before he'd left-Hermione had to give him that.

"I'll give him a call later." Hermione told herself aloud as she stepped into the hallway.

Draco was silent as he followed the woman into the kitchen, watching her automatically walk to the kettle as he allowed his mind to wander to the past.

Hermione set about making two cups of tea, happy for the small yet familiar routine that was her anchor whenever things weren't going how they should.

"I'm sorry." Draco stated out of no where, causing Hermione to pause mid way through putting a tea bag in the cup.

"Whatever for?" Hermione questioned, surprised as she waited for him to come towards her before resuming.

"For everything I've ever done." He swallowed.

"Oh don't be silly," She laughed slightly, making a move towards the fridge, "It's all just a dot on the landscape of life."

"Are you sure? Because if I've ever caused you any pain..."

"Draco, if you remind me anymore then I may just have to fall out of love with you."

Draco placed his hand on Hermione's waist as she opened the door to reach for the milk, her bum touching the man's crotch slightly.

"Hermione, I need to tell you something," Draco started, looking at her with sad eyes as she pressed her body into his and looked up at him eagerly, "I've loved you sinc-" But Hermione wasn't listening, and before he could get the sentence out, her lips were touching his once more.

Hermione turned herself around and threw her hands over Draco's shoulder, standing on her tip toes slightly as she leaned into him.

Draco's hands moved slightly from Hermione's waist onto her bum as she fell further into him, deepening the kiss and electrifying Draco.

Without breaking their mouths, Draco pushed the open fridge door closed and backed Hermione into it, so she was able to lean her back against it.

Fumbling blindly, Hermione curled her hands though the man's hair, every cell in her body becoming aware of every touch as her blood pulsed.

Draco could feel himself getting more and more turned on, his crotch nudging Hermione in the place he wanted it.

Moaning under the kiss, Hermione brushed her hands up and down Draco's neck and back as he squeezed her bum under her tight skirt.

Almost automatically, the kiss turned deeper as the two pushed against each other, trying to remove all space between them. Hermione ran her hands down Draco's neck and brought them to his chest, feeling his beating heart under her hand. Teasingly, the woman ran her hands down the front of his shirt, caressing his muscles under the fabric. Draco moaned harder at the touch, bringing Hermione further into him, squeezing her harder.

Suddenly Hermione's hands were pulling up Draco's shirt, touching his cold skin with hunger as she felt all of him. Draco removed his hand from Hermione momentarily and pushed up his own shirt, begging her to take it off him as he practically gave it to her in her hands.

Shivering at the touch as he melted into her hands, Draco melted as Hermione explored his now naked torso, his body on display but neither of them were looking, focused on driving their tongues together. Feeling the somewhat unfair advantage, the man lifted his hands up Hermione's own shirt, grasping her breasts with rough hands on top of her bra, not daring to go any further-although it was what he craved most.

Hermione's hands were slipping further and further down Draco's chest, her fingers dipping under the waistline of his trousers, teasing him as she inched further and further closer to his pulsating spot; her hands occasionally slipping to rub him over his jeans, shocking her every time as she realized how hard he was.

Reaching under her shoulders, Draco lifted Hermione slightly off her feet, pushing her against the fridge as so her body was tight against his. Although the impact left Hermione a little winded, it was nothing compared to the breathlessness she felt kissing Draco, not wanting to let go. It was Draco's turn to run his hands over Hermione, discovering all her sensitive spots, and he wasted no time in doing so.

It wasn't long before the woman's shirt was left discarded on the floor, her bra removed expertly as Draco bit into the cool skin of her neck, his hand caressing her breast. Hermione moaned loudly as her body shook under his touch, the electrifying sparks traveling down to her core as Draco stoked his lips on her skin feverishly.

Trying with all she could to reach, Hermione blindly started to undo Draco's belt, her numb fingers working their way into the unfamiliar territory as she attempted to pull it off. Eventually, the belt came lose without Draco's help, and with a small push, his trousers were around his ankles, leaving his thin underwear to reveal his manhood.

With a small moan, Hermione touched Draco over the fabric, rubbing him softly over his still covered shaft. Draco let out a shaky breath, his legs going limp as he pushed himself into the woman's hands, dropping her lightly from her small height.

Her feet once more firmly on the ground, Hermione licked Draco's lips slightly before biting down on him, pulling his lip away from him and then wrapping her mouth around his again. Her mind racing, Hermione pushed down Draco's underwear with one hand, revealing his hard member. Growling slightly, Hermione moved herself from Draco's lips to his neck, biting him softly before snaking her way down his body, placing small kisses on his torso as she lowered herself onto the ground. Knees on the cold floor that she couldn't feel, Hermione licked the top of Draco's penis, placing her tongue on the tip as her hand stroked the shaft, bringing it towards her with force.

Bringing all of him into her mouth, Hermione bobbed her head up and down, sucking at his member, taking delight in every moan. Hermione licked the slit with menace, her wet tongue sending his body shaking. Throwing his head back in pleasure, Draco allowed himself to drown in the sensation, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he moaned loudly, his hand entwining in her thick hair as he pushed himself further into her.

His body pulsating, Draco let out a shaky sigh as he forced himself not to cum. Noticing his sudden stiffness, Hermione teasingly licked him once more, before bringing herself up to face level again. Without words, the two kissed aggressively, Draco pushing off Hermone's skirt and knickers in one swift movement. Suddenly his hand was on her crotch, his fingers dipping into her wetness as she moaned into his touch.

He moved his fingers to the top of her folds, basking in the sweet sound of her moans as she fought for every breath under the still in breaking kiss. With a sharp gasp, Draco pushed his fingers inside of Hermione, taking them further up her as she opened her legs wider, her moans becoming more erotic as he touched where she needed it most.

As Hermione's breath reached breaking point, Draco began to slow down, his fingers pressing away from her spot and brushing her more, until he removed them altogether. He tickled her soaking folds softly as she became limp in his arms. Kissing her lightly, Draco moved his hands up her naked body, pausing at her breasts before slipping under her shoulders and picking her up once more. With a small gasp, Hermione locked her legs around his muscular body and allowed herself to be carried.

Placing her onto the table, Draco opened Hermione's legs gently, his fingers caressing her skin as he inched himself down her body, kissing her lightly.

Shivering, Hermione moaned softly as her back automatically arched. Draco was suddenly at her hips and her senses were alive as he found his way to her crotch, his fingers teasing her slightly before his tongue dived in, emitting a gasp from Hermione as she sinked.

Draco licked Hermione savagely, his tongue grazing her most sensitive spots as she buckled against him. Her back arching higher and higher, Hermione wrapped her legs around Draco's neck and moaned deeply, shuddering as his teeth rubbed her forcefully.

"I'm going to cum!" She exhaled, her teeth biting into her lip.

At the words, Draco straightened and replaced his mouth onto Hermione's and hitched himself onto the table, edging his hard member closer and closer to her.

Above her, Draco rubbed himself onto Hermione, biting her under the ear as he moaned into her skin as the start of an orgasm overwhelmed her.

"No, wait!" Hermione exclaimed, causing Draco to stop what he was doing and hold himself up against her, his hands alone supporting his weight.

"What?" He groaned, concerned yet still heavily excited, hungry for more.

"We can't do this." The woman was suddenly self conscious, a hand covering her face as she closed her legs; before Draco could say another word, she had leaped off the table and bounded naked from the room, leaving only a small sob and a suddenly confused man behind.


	17. Chapter 16

Taking a deep breath, Draco knocked twice on Hemione's bedroom door, his eyes shutting momentarily as he prayed to a God he knew nothing about that everything was going to be okay.

"Go away." Hermione called from inside the room, a sniff following.

Holding onto his breath, the man ignored her words and opened the door, "Can I come in?"

"No matter what I say, you're going to come in anyway."

"That's true." Draco smiled at her light tone as he took a step into the room, his eyes finding Hermione's back as she sat on the edge of her bed, her head hanging low.

"Such a Slytherin." Hermione smirked, turning her head slightly to him as she watched his feet come closer to her.

"It's in the blood." He gave out a shaky laugh, but nothing was funny as the tension surrounded the room, both adults holding their tongue as the situation moulded itself around them.

Hermione swallowed, "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be." Draco came over to the bed and knelt one knee on the soft fabric, trying to sit down without Hermione noticing.

"There is, I'm being childish." The woman moved herself to give Draco room on the bed as she turned and smiled at him sorrowfully.

"You're not," Draco smiled, his tear stained eyes meeting hers, "you're being human."

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked Draco as he sat down to breakfast the next morning.

"Nothing." Draco replied sharply, somewhat stunned as to where the question came from.

Hermione looked down at the man sceptically, "Do you want eggs?"

"No thanks, just toast." He groaned, rubbing his temple with his thumb and forefinger.

"Anything on it?"

"No." He sighed, his eyes tightly shut together as pain spread across his face.

"Everything okay?" She asked again, setting the plate of toast in front of him.

"Massive headache," He answered through gritted teeth, "nothing new."

"Have you taken something for it?" She asked, concerned.

"It'll take a while to kick in." He forced a smile on his face and looked up at the woman, attempting to reassure her.

"Hang on." she cried suddenly, skipping out of the room, leaving Draco to have flashbacks of the night before.

"What's happening?" Draco asked, baffled as he turned around in his chair to see the woman come back into the living room, holding her wand.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione placed her wand on Draco's temple, "_Eliminare_."

Blinking twice, Draco moved his head back from the wand and looked up at Hermione, "That's never worked before."

"Really?" She asked, her eyebrows raised as she turned on the spot and walked back towards the counter.

"What did you do?" He asked, smirking.

"Nothing unusual." She tried to hide her pride but the smile shone through despite, leading her to keep her back from the man.

"I don't think I'll ever understand your ability."

"What do you mean?" She asked, biting her lip as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Well I guess, if you don't mind me saying, " Draco coughed slightly, picking up a slice of toast, "we were always pretty much the same-skill wise-at school-"

"That's true." Hermione commented, pointing her wand at the kettle and turning to face Draco, leaning against the counter as she watched the steam start to blow from the pot.

"-But you've always been more advanced, I mean, I've read and witnessed all you did to help Harry and such."

"Did you really think it was helping?" Hermione asked, bitterness replacing her embarrassment as she busied herself with making tea as the difficult subject crept up.

"I can't tell you what I thought," Draco sighed, "I can't remember."

"I'm glad it didn't matter to you much." Hermione said sarcastically through a sour smile.

"I didn't mean it like that," He said defensively, "Just forget it."

Taking a breath in, Hermione turned back around, "Sorry, I don't mean to be horrid."

"It's okay, I can't expect you to just forget my past."

"Thankyou though."

"For what?"

"The praise," Hermione smiled, passing the man his mug of hot tea, "It's not often I hear those words anymore."

"The rumour has always been that you're the brightest witch of your age, and that still stands to today." He looked up at her now blushing cheeks, smirking as he brought the cup to his mouth.

"Maybe." She smiled, turning away from the man as electricity soared through her.

"Definitely." He smiled, watching the back of head, knowing she was smiling behind all those curls.

"I'm in work tomorrow." Hermione sighed as she placed her own plate and finally sat down.

"I'm really not looking forward to tomor-" Draco stopped himself just in time from revealing information he wasn't keen to share, hiding his slip by taking a large gulp of his tea.

"Why, what?" Hermione asked sceptically, watching the man as he recovered himself.

"Nothing, nothing." He laughed, shaking his head and picking up another piece of toast.

"Are you sure it's nothing on your mind? You've been acting glazed out for the past couple of days." Hermione asked again, unable to contain the nagging question any longer.

"What? Oh, yeah," Draco started, hesitating on whether or not he wanted to tell Granger, "it's just I start chemo tomorrow." He put down his toast before it even reached his mouth, suddenly losing his appetite.

Hermione lowered her head with a frown, she hadn't told Draco that she'd read his letter and then sealed it again before he had picked it up the day before, and he hadn't seemed to notice that she had.

"When did they tell you?" She asked, trying to disguise herself.

"I only opened the letter this morning; the one that came yesterday."

"Ah." Hermione nodded, scooping up her scrambled egg, unable to look Draco in the eye.

"I was going to ask if you'd come with me but…" The man coughed again, looking down at his plate.

"No," Hermione's head shot up, "No, yeah, I'll get another day off work-I'm owed so much, it'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Draco looked up, "I don't want to put you in any trouble, I'm just kind of…"

"Scared?" Hermione finished for him, placing her hand over his on top of the table as he nodded.

"What time tomorrow?" She asked after giving him a moment of innocence, an idea suddenly hitting her.

"Early, I think it was around 9." He sighed inwardly, looking up at her once more.

"We better get a move on then." Hermione stated seriously, taking Draco's unfinished plate away and standing up.

"Why? It's not until tomorrow." Draco watched, confused, as she tidied away their barely touched breakfast.

"I know, but we need to get to the library before then."

"It doesn't close until late." Draco reminded her, not really wanting to go out before he was fully awake.

"Yes, I know, but we need to turn it upside down to try and find the missing information, before tomorrow." Hermione stated clearly, sweeping Draco's tea off him before he had time to complain.

"Do you think we'll really be able to find it?"

"Nobody believed Voldemort could be stopped." Hermione reminded him with a smirk.

The two arrived at Diagon Alley precisely an hour later; Draco had finally got around to getting himself dressed, but was still very much sceptical. It wasn't even that he didn't believe they were going to be able to find anything, he just wasn't sure if he believed he actually wanted to find anything.

Leading the way, with purpose and hope in her stride, Hermione walked slightly in front of Draco down the familiar route to the side alley which led straight to the old building's wonky entrance.

"Hello again, Miss Granger," Michael, the librarian smiled up at her from his desk, pausing his stamp work to watch her unusual friend follow in behind her, "Mr Malfoy. I haven't seen you in here since you were a little boy." He smiled stiffly, somewhat standing up in his chair as he bowed his head a little, greeting the son of one of his most influential investors.

"Have you managed to find anything?" Hermione asked hopefully, once the man was sat back down, his eyes unwavering off the known ex-Death Eater.

"I'm afraid not." The man answered, his eyes downcast, although Hermione had little faith that he had actually tried to look.

"Thanks anyway," She smiled sweetly at him, before turning to look at Draco grimly, "Come on." She beckoned with a nod of her head in the direction of the medical section before marching her way over, but Draco's eyes were fixed on the wall at the children's corner, were an oversized Harry Potter was smiling down the camera, showing off a book with his name on the front cover, as well as Hermione Granger's.

Without a word, Draco moved closer to the poster to see the two, previously blurry, figures come into focus as he realised the faces of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, hand in hand showing off two other of the thick books.

"What's this?" Draco finally spoke aloud, his voice cracking as he stared, transfixed at Hermione's beaming smile, the picture moving to show her name in bold letters spread across the page.

"Huh?" Hermione questioned spinning around, realising Draco wasn't following her.

"This." Draco nodded at the poster, watching the 2D Hermione's smile grow brighter as the flash of a camera swept across her face for a split second, illuminating her cheekbones.

"Oh, just a promotional poster." Hermione said, none pulsed as she tried to forget about niggling fire that had just started in her stomach, sending her heart racing.

"For what?" Draco asked innocently, but he could see the books in their hands,

"Oh, nothing." She lied, biting her lip as she felt the heat rush to her face.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me," He stated, a hint of awe in his voice, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by H J Granger." He read aloud questioningly, turning on his heel to finally face Hermione.

"I might have written a book." She said shyly, biting her lip harder as she started to feel like a little girl again.

"Or three." Draco smirked, turning back to the poster to glance over at the three books in each of their hands.

"Or seven." Hermione tried to keep the pride from her voice as she watched Draco's face light up in amusement.

"That's incredible." He told her, his face beaming.

Hermione laughed slightly, "It wasn't anything really."

Suddenly spotting the very books on the shelf right in front of him, Draco walked over and picked up the thickest one, turning it over in his hands as he read the title, "This wasn't anything really." He stated his eyes wide as he looked at her with admiration.

"Well, it's not worth reading; they're just children's books." Hermione declared, walking quickly over to the man as he went to open the book at random.

"No, no, I want to read what the woman I love has wrote about me," He grinned, his eyes flickering to hers as he chose a random page, "I best be in it anyway." He smirked, scrolling his eyes down the page.

"Oh, you really don't want to read it." She laughed, trying to close the heavy book in his hands.

"Why wouldn't I?" The man challenged, trying to find his name on a page.

"Come on, we have work to do." Hermione groaned, scared of what Draco may read about himself.

"Aha! Here I am," He announced, holding the book further to his face and forcing Hermione to let go and shout her protests to herself. "…realised what Malfoy was talking about…" Draco skimmed further down the page as Hermione's heart plummeted further into her stomach, "'…you like the Weasley's don't you Potter?,'" Draco coughed slightly, making his voice slightly softer as he read on "'said Malfoy, sneerin-' I don't sneer!" He insisted, turned to Hermione with his mouth slightly agape in wonder, "Do I?"

"A little." Hermione grinned apologetically, her cheeks still red.

Draco shook his head in mock disbelief and carried on, "'Said Malfoy, sneering," He shook his head again slightly, "'Spend the holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the st…" Draco trailed off, realising what he was saying, he brought the book closer to his face, "'…I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles, even the Weasley's hovel smells okay…" Trailing off again, Draco turned a chunk of pages in his hand, searching more to the back of the book to find more information about himself from Hermione's perspective,

"Firstly, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting…for the opportunity to strike without teacher witness…ambushed Harry halfway down…train…made his way back from the toilet…" Draco read aloud dribs and drabs as his eyes quickly scanned the page. Without looking at Hermione or speaking another word, the man shut the book and slid it back onto the shelf and took out another.

"Please, we need to get on." Hermione's plead fell on deaf ears as Draco opened the book at random once more, skimming through the pages to see his name.

"Without warning, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry…paralysed…he stamped, hard, on Harry's face," Draco paused to open his mouth wide in shock, trying to remember when he had done such a thing, "'Harry felt his nose…Malfoy dragged the cloak…threw it over him…'don't reckon they'll find you till the train's back in London'," Draco read down the rest of the page silently, his mouth tightly closed and his eyebrows knitted.

Draco put down the book slightly, looking down at Hermione, who couldn't quite meet his eyes, "I wasn't that bad was I?"

"No," Hermione shook her head sorrowfully, "There are some things in there that are truthful, but much is exaggerated."

"How much?" He stared at her intently, his own cheeks going red.

Hermione didn't answer, looking down instead at her feet as she continued to chew on her lip.

"Hermione," He stated forcefully, making her look up at him, his cold eyes meeting hers, "How much is actually exaggerated?"

"Not much." She answered after a moment, her voice quiet as panic swept through her.

Dropping the book to his side with a sigh, Draco walked towards her, his eyes downcast as he suddenly put his arms around her, his chin resting on her shoulder in an embrace, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" She asked, her voice losing itself as she tried to see why he was sorry for the words she had painted on him.

"For being the antagonist." He squeezed her tight before letting go of her and standing up straight again.

"Oh Draco," Hermione soothed sympathetically, "you weren't the antagonist-maybe someone who got in the way to block the path of the hero-but it's all over now."

Hermione reached out and took the book from Malfoy, her heart rate slowly starting to steady as she placed the hardback into its place on the shelf.

"The worst part is, I can't even remember." Draco looked down at his feet, watching as Hermione's hand touched his own as she interlocked his fingers into hers with ease.

"It's all over now." She squoze his hand slightly, looking up at his tired face as Draco forced his feet to follow her away with a sigh.

* * *

><p>"Look at that, completely gone!" Hermione exclaimed as she waved the thumb marked page 132 in front of Draco's face, bending over him to reach the book from over his shoulder.<p>

"Hang on," Draco laughed, trying to grab the moving page from Hermione's fingertips, "Alchemists have found one element that has been known to work," He read aloud, letting the excitement build inside of him as he read faster, "While difficult to find the…" Hermione turned the page for him, an exasperated expression set on her face as she pointed to the page number on the opposite page.

"Find the what?" Draco almost shouted, his voice high.

"Excatly! I don't know!" Hermione rubbed her hands over her face before slumping into the chair next to the man.

"Have you looked for the ripped out page? Is there another book?" Draco asked hurriedly, his eyes still looking at the remains of the sentence.

"What do you think I've been doing every day?" Hermione replied shortly, eyebrows raised as she threw her head back slightly, suppressing a groan.

"I can't believe that we can be so close, and yet so far."

"I can't believe someone would ever rip out a book."

"It _has_ to be here somewhere." Draco reassured himself, turning around in his chair to scan the full shelves all around him.

"I've looked in all the books, there's no loose pages in any of them." She sighed, closing the dreaded book that sat in front of them like a grey cloud.

"Have you asked Michael who last took this book out?" He asked, tracing his fingers softly over the title of his illness that screamed up at him from the table.

"You can't take these books out, they have to stay in the library," Hermione pushed her hair from her face, "I've asked, but he has no idea." She sighed, pulling the book towards her and standing to replace it on the shelf.

"Are any of the others of any use though?" Draco asked hopefully, following the woman.

"Not unless you have liver cancer." She rubbed her eyes before looking up at Draco with a sorry expression.

"It'll be here." Draco nodded, taking a book off the shelf, scanning the contents page before putting it back and taking another.

"I've been trying to look for the same wizard's handwriting, but I can't find it anywhere else."

"There was two different quills on the page, one was scrawled over that sentence." Draco realised, his eyebrows tight in concentration.

"Exactly…" Hermione trailed off, walking up and down the long bookcase, checking the names on the spines as she had done the first time.

"What are you looking for?" Draco asked, following her with his eyes.

Stopping suddenly, Hermione looked up at him with a dazed expression on her face, "I have absolutely no idea."

* * *

><p>The two searched together up and down the library, stopping only to gather their thoughts before turning once more to work, cautious of the limited time frame they had to find the missing piece to the all important puzzle. Precious minutes turned into hours, which eventually turned to the closing as the moon greeted them through the blinds of the windows.<p>

"Have you tried to summon the missing page?" Draco asked finally without conviction, the only idea he had left.

Shaking her head, knowing better of herself, Hermione took out her wand from the pocket of her jacket,

"_Accio_ page one-hundred and thirty-two." Hermione held up her wand, pointed towards the shelves as the two of them held their breath.

They were greeted with only a blast of fresh air as the library door opened and closed with a groan as the last party left the library, and they were left alone once again.


	18. Chapter 17

"Are you ready for this?" Hermione asked, taking a deep breath as she brought her bag closer to her chest, touching her hands together.

"No, but I'm going to have to be." Draco straightened himself as he looked up at the high building, towering above them as muggles weaved themselves in and out of the parked cars in front of them.  
>Without a word, Hermione grasped Draco's hand and pushed them forward towards the Hospital entrance.<p>

"I'm sorry we didn't find anything last night." Hermione told him as the red double swung open to greet them.

"It's not your fault." He muttered into himself, not wanting to think of where he would be instead if they had found the missing paper as he let go of her hand and walked a little ahead.

"It is," Hermione defended for him, "I mean, if I had looked harder earlier, we may be closer…"

"But instead," Draco stopped still, turning himself towards Hermione slightly, "we're back to square one,"  
>The woman bowed her head, shuffling her feat as Draco went on,<p>

"Look, I really appreciate it, Hermione, but there's nothing that can be done." He paused and gave a sad smile down at her sorry face, trying to find her eyes as she looked up at him tentatively,

"I'm not giving up on you."

"I shouldn't get my hopes up, that's all-and you shouldn't either." He stepped towards her and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Too late." The woman smirked and span around, leading them back into the direction of the first sign, towards the Oncology department.

Swallowing back his fear, Draco handed his form to the old and lined receptionist, who asked him to confirm Hermione's (written down as his own) address, to which he nodded and signed the sheet that was thrusted in front of him without question. If he had thought about it, he wouldn't want it. He'd heard all there was to this game of Chemotherapy, and knew the horror stories; he wasn't ready to say the least. If he had his way, the Slytherin way, he would have this whole thing sorted out on his own aim. But there was no way of getting that.

"Will you come in with me?" Draco asked as they sat down on plastic chairs in the waiting room, his sweating palms turning into one another.

"Of course I will," Hermione smiled slightly, looking around at the other grim faces waiting to be called, "I don't know if I'll be of much use though."

"You'll be company," Draco swallowed, before adding to himself, "and just seeing you will take away the pain."

Hermione wasn't meant to hear, so she pretended she didn't. Even if she had had words to express what the sentence meant to her, or what it had done to her insides, Draco's name was called out before she had the chance to try.

"Malfoy," A nurse called out a second time from an open door at the side of the waiting room, "Draco Malfoy."

"Draco," Hermione shook Draco's hand on his lap, waking him from his stupor as the nurse called out his name for the third time, "Draco, it's time to go in."

Draco nodded silently, standing himself up on shaking knees as he followed Hermione's feet towards the nurse and her sickly sweet voice and her stupid blue uniform and shiny badge.

"Are you a next of kin?" The woman asked Hermione as Draco was led into another room lined with beds.

"Not exactly," Hermione glanced up at Draco, who was none the wiser about her sudden problem and continued staring at his shoes, "I'm just his housemate, I guess."

"I'm afraid you won't be allowed in whilst Mr. Malfoy is having his treatment," Suddenly the door to the room was closing and the nurse moved herself in front as Draco walked in, obstructing Hermione's path.

"Please, I need to be with him." Hermione told the nurse, panic rising in her chest, taking a step forward as she watched Draco drift further away.

The nurse took a step towards her, away from Draco, away from the door, forcing Hermione backwards.  
>"I really will have to call security." The nurse smiled politely, reminding Hermione greatly of Umbridge.<br>Knowing just how Umbridge was, and not doubting for a second that the nurse was the same, Hermione gave in with a sigh and stepped back again to allow the door to swing shut in her face as the nurse walked away.

Draco looked up to realise Granger wasn't with him, and in fact, wasn't in the room at all. None of the nurses looked like Madame Pomfrey; in fact, the room looked nothing like the infirmary at Hogwarts. Everyone was knew. Everything was different.

Starting to feel his heart racing, Draco did everything he could to stop himself from panicking-or worse, crying. Listing all the hexes he had cast in his head alphabetically helped take his mind off the sharp scratch as the needle was inserted into his arm. Faces blurred into shapes as he placed his head onto the pillow. Just before his eyes closed over, his vision managed to focus on one face. Hermione's, floating in the window.

Hermione watched through the dirty window in the door as Draco fell asleep, the nurses crowding around him as they messed around with tubes and bags and all things that boggled Hermione's logical mind and made her feel slightly queasy. Waiting another minute to make sure he didn't stir, Hermione made her way to the waiting room.

An hour past and Hermione envisioned herself as one of the characters in Ron's films, dissolving every second into a different position through a montage of clock faces as the seconds ticked by. After three cups of coffee, constantly refilled with a quick charm, Hermione sat with her legs up on the table in front of her, her head bent over a Runes book.

The old scribbles transported her back to her days in the classroom, to which she could hardly escape as she still learned so much about the wizarding life, even to this day. She would never have guessed that Healers couldn't deal with cancer-never mind that a Slytherin as dark as Draco Malfoy would ever be in such a position. Setting down the book on her knee, Hermione rubbed her eyes and amused her wandering mind into thinking back to school.

As always, her thoughts turned straight to the bad. The early days when she was a know-it-all who got picked on because she corrected the pronunciation of spells or put her hand up too much. She had done everything right, her homework was always in on time and it wasn't like she didn't help Harry and Ron whenever they'd needed her. _And _she'd always found time for fun. Still, being part of 'The Golden Trio', as some sarcastically called them wasn't enough to get her away from the odd bit of bullying. Draco wasn't even the worst. Her own dorm mates constantly copied off her work, even going to the extent of using revealing charms on her spare paper. There was a lot of trouble when that plagiary was brought back down on her.

Suddenly something clicked in Hermione's brain as she rewound her thoughts past the sobbing faces of Parvati and Lavander in McGonagall's office, their homework spread in front of them. She replayed the scene in her head. McGonagall had sharply reprimanded them, but had slightly praised them. No one in thier year could ever have mastered such a charm. Flitwick hadn't even taught them it as it was highly frowned upon. Hermione shook her head, trying to rattle her brain to remember what charm it was, her mind spinning as she cut to different thoughts-anything that wasn't the answer. She'd used the spell herself, earlier the same year-they must have heard her. That's what Ron had thought at the time. Trying to think with all the thoughts wizzing around was hard, but finally she remembered her own high-pitched, young voice saying the incantation; Aparecium: the revealing charm.

That was it. That was how they'd find out the answer to what lay on the hidden words of page 133. The hidden cure.

Standing up quickly, the book fell to the floor as she rushed out of the room and hurried steps led her down the long corridors as she searched once again for the right room. A nurse eyeing her suspiciously, Hermione checked the window to the room were Draco was lying, still unconscious. She cursed under her breath as she realised he'd wake up and not know where she was, but there was no way she could pass on a message to him. She just had to hope he would know she wouldn't leave intentionally. Rushing out of the hospital without hesitation, the woman ducked behind a stationary ambulance and apparated into Diagon Alley.

Unlike the hospital, Hermione knew her way like the back of her hand and she wasn't afraid to run down the street, her bag tied under her arm as she tried as hard as she could to reach the library in only a few minutes. For once, she didn't care who saw her. All she could focus on was that charm. Relief flooding her as she reached the corner before the library, Hermione slowed down and fixed her hair without stopping, every inch of her alive with anticipation.

When her hand finally reached the handle, she cursed loudly to find it was locked. Putting her face to the window, she scrutinized the dark room for any sign of movement. Without hesitation, the woman embraced her years with Harry and reached for her wand,  
>"Alohomora." She said clearly, satisfied as the lock clicked open and she was able to open the door successfully, locking it again behind her. Without turning on any lights, Hermione made her way to the back of the library and got to her knees two shelves before the wall, where she had hidden the book beneath the bottom of the shelf. Taking it out and opening it to the marked page, the woman took out her wand again.<p>

Hermione placed the tip of her wand directly onto the dried ink, the crisp page wavering under the pressure as she whispered the revealing charm, her eyes bearing into the page as she strained her vision into the blurring letters, all her concentration pouring into the revelations.


	19. Chapter 18

"Alchemists have found one element that has been known to work on few witches and wizards. While difficult to find the ingredients, one is particularly hard. A far land from here, you will have to travel then further to reach the summit. The Eye of the Pitcher Plant in a potion of Essence of Dittany will cause the brain to regrow around the tumor, and remove it completely, I have found."

The ink transcribed little of what she needed but everything she wanted. There was a way. Her stomach grew inside her chest as a euphoric sound escaped her mouth. There was a way. There was a cure.

But she had no idea of how to find "the Eye of the Pitcher Plant". No idea what "the summit" was and the "far land" could be anywhere between New Brighton and Portugal for all she knew.

"Lumos," she said aloud with a flick of her wand as she stood up and left the book open on the floor. Holding her wand away from her for a better view of her surroundings, Hermione searched for Herbology books.

Thankful for charms, Hermione quickly found a book and a section on Pitcher Plants. Discovering they were one of the rarest plants in the world, and relatively inaccessible; known only to be found on the summit of Mount Victoria in the Philippines. "_A far land from here, you will have to travel then further to reach the summit."_ She'll have to travel far indeed. 

* * *

><p>In the hospital, Draco was waking up in a haze, the drugs barely wearing off.<p>

"Ah, Mr Malfoy," A man came up to him wearing blue overalls, carrying a clipboard as he messed around with the tubes surrounding Draco.  
>"Is someone coming to collect you?" He spoke again.<br>Draco tried to reply, but only found his throat to be clogged-so he nodded instead.  
>"There's something I need to discuss with you while you wait, I won't be a moment."<br>Draco blinked at the man closed the curtains around him. 

* * *

><p>Hermione apparated to the same spot she dissaparated from the hospital, her heart pounding as she checked her wristwatch, hopping she wasn't too late for Draco.<br>Making her way around to the entrance of the hospital, Hermione laid eyes on a pale man in a wheel chair, clutching his bleach blonde head in his hands, and for a split second she thought it was him.  
>Remembering her path, Hermione worked her way down the same endless corridors and ended up right back looking through the window she had left him at.<br>The curtains were drawn closed around him, so Hermione had no idea if he was still there, but she snuck in anyway. Praying no nurse would question her this time, the woman walked up to his cubicle and peeked her head around the curtain.

A doctor was sitting next to him looking all serious. Draco was staring straight ahead. But before she could silently excuse herself and leave, both men had spotted her with tight smiles. The doctor left. Draco sat up.

"Hermione, I-"

"There's something we can do..."

Hermione showed him the ripped page with a nervous smile.

* * *

><p>"You don't have to come."<p>

"Of course I do! There's no way you're going on your own!"

"This is my last resort, Hermione, what if we don't get it right or we can't find everything we need?"

"I was your last resort, wasn't I? And I helped you-I think you have a knack of choosing exactly the right last resorts that will help you get through." Hermione smiled at him, but Draco looked away from her watery gaze, swallowing hard as he thought about Hermione coming with him on a search for an impossible mission.

"Are you sure you want to come?" Draco asked again seriously, his weak eyes shifting back to meet hers.

"If you don't stop questioning then I might not want to!"

"If you don't, then just say." Draco retorted immediately.

"I was the one who found out about it!" Hermione replied, exasperated. She ran her fingers through her hair before swallowing hard,

"Draco, I promised, I would." She said softly, her hand coming down and finding his on the bars of the bed.

"Thankyou," Draco's spoke quietly, his voice breaking.

Hermione quickly took her hand away, sensing the awkwardness of the sensitive touch.

"When should we go?"

"I guess that's up to the doctor."

"I don't think the doctor will even allow me to go..."

"What?"

"I'm probably not well enough to leave the bed, according to him..."

"Honestly, how long do we have left...a month? A few weeks?" Hermione was starting to panic, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

"A-" Draco started, his ashen grey face falling as he tried to force the words out of his dry mouth, "a couple of days..." he said it so casually, so loosely, that Hermione struggled to hear it, and would have missed the sentence completely if she wasn't looking out for the words, hanging onto every syllable as if they meant the world.

And they did mean the world.

"I can't lose you Draco, I love you."

"Love doesn't give two shits about the circumstances; love just is."  
>"Look, everybody experiences stuff," Hermione let in a shaky breath, her heart jumping to her throat, "Please, please, just try for me."<p>

"I'll always try for you."


	20. Chapter 19

"We need to obtain the Dittany first." Draco said, matter of fact, once they'd made it outside of the hospital and away from prying ears.  
>"It's rare, but it should be relatively easy."<br>"Probably in Knockturn Alley." Draco gave a shady laugh before turning sharply and dissaparating with Hermione.  
>"Probably," Hermione agreed, "But I got it a few years ago without going there,"<br>She opened the door and let Draco in first, "I have a feeling I know who can get it easily." She said, following him in.

* * *

><p>"Harryyyyyy," Hermione popped her head around his office door.<br>"Hermione," Harry smiled back, motioning her in, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
>"Can you do something for me? Well, more like, get something for me?" Hermione asked, coming into his office.<br>"Well, that depends what it is." He said darkly, looking at her seriously.  
>"Nothing bad," She assured him, sitting down on the edge of his desk, "just a potion."<p>

"Go on…" The man coaxed her, removing some papers from beside her.  
>"Essence of Dittany?" She smiled, looking up at him.<br>"Oh yeah, sure," He laughed slightly to himself, "Why didn't you just say?"  
>"I kind of like making you think I've turned to the Dark Arts."<br>"Keep letting Draco Malfoy live in your house, and you just might."  
>"Harry, please." Hermione said, all smiles gone.<br>"Come on."

Hermione followed Harry down the hallways of the Ministry, knowing that she herself could get the potion from the storerooms down below, but only Harry's status could get it easily.  
>She hadn't wanted to let herself think about Malfoy's prognosis. Hadn't allowed herself to count down. Days, the doctor thought. But still, had allowed him home. Not that the doctor had much choice, what with Draco being awfully skilled at the Imperius curse.<p>

All that mattered to her was getting this potion finished. Getting Draco to live. She had shut everything else off. Distanced herself from him emotionally. Become numb in a race to save them both.

There was no option. She was going to win.

Walking swiftly in and out of the Ministry's stock cupboard was as easy as Hermione thought with Harry Potter on her shoulder. They exchanged few words, and Harry didn't ask any questions on why she needed the potion. He had learned to know when to leave things well alone. Hermione declined his offer for lunch, and signed out before going straight back home.

* * *

><p>Although weak, Draco was still able to lift his wand and had done most of the packing by the time the owner of the house got there. Hermione had already arranged a portkey and they were set to leave any second now.<p>

Stressed, Hermione took it upon herself to unpack and repack by hand, before unpacking and repacking again by magic.  
>"I'm glad we only need one bag." Draco joked from his armchair, staring at Hermione in amusement.<br>"Yeah, well…" Hermione started, "It's good to be prepared."

"I might not even need all these clothes." Draco said, levitating a pair of his underpants.  
>Hermione grunted and snatched the garment from the air before stuffing it back into the case and zipping it.<br>"Yes, you will," She told him firmly, standing up with the case, "I'm not coming home without you."  
>"You should make an Unbreakable Vow." He smirked, walking to the kitchen.<br>Hermione gave him a sharp look and all jokes were gone.

* * *

><p>Using a Teleportation spell to send the suitcase ahead, Hermione and Draco placed their middle fingers onto a Jammie Dodger situated in the middle of the dining table, their other hands pressed firmly in each other's.<p>

"Two, Three, On-," Hermione mumbled as she watched the clock on the wall, before suddenly being gripped by a hook at the navel and travelling head first into a spin.  
>The two tightened onto each other, using the other's hand for support. They closed their eyes together, Draco humming loudly until finally they reached a halt.<p>

"That's what my head is like twenty-four-seven," Draco said, only mildly joking, as they landed softly on the ground.  
>The humid air whipped around them suddenly, almost suffocating them as their lungs got used to the new environment.<br>"It's colder than I thought." Draco commented, bending down and brushing the grass below him with the back of his hand.  
>"Just wait until summer," Hermione laughed, pulling Draco's hand which was still in hers, "<em>Not <em>that I plan on staying that long."  
>"You've packed enough." The man laughed, starting to walk in the direction they were facing.<br>"Do you know where you're going?" Hermione called out, dropping his hand to wipe her own on her blouse.  
>"No idea," He smiled, turning around with a grin, "I figured we could just see where the wind takes us."<br>"Or maybe, the people?" Hermione grinned and turned the other way, Draco moving back towards her to spot a large marketplace filled with people, sound filling the light of day.  
>"Yeah, maybe that's a good a place to start as any."<br>Shoving his arm softly, they walked silently together towards the path leading to the market, the noise of the people getting louder with each step.

* * *

><p>"So, have you spoken to your mother at all in these past few months?"<p>

"Not once…" Draco bowed his head, following his feet with his eyes, "Well, to be fair, I did try-but Father picked up the phone; and let's just say that didn't go too well."  
>"I'm sorry, Draco." Hermione stopped and kissed him on the cheek, but before he turned around to respond, the woman had started walking again; a slight pink tinge staining her cheeks.<br>"At least I'm not alone." Draco smiled, squeezing her hand.  
>Hermione's blush turned harder as she responded with a squeeze back, biting her lip to stop herself from beaming as her insides turned to jelly.<p>

They reached the market soon, the heat blazing through the air and carrying them with it; weaving itself through the large crowds as people shuffled along their way. Music played from speakers perched on crooked stools, drifting in and out of different songs as they moved past each one. The street vendors of every shop competed with the music and the noise of desperate customers, each haggling for the best deal. Vendors, like commanders, made the street extremely narrow forcing people to walk in a straight file like soldiers on parade in every direction. People of all ages bumped into one another without a word, trying to push against the impossible current.  
>Tables stretched out, displaying the products openly for all to grab, feel and if they where daring enough-slip into their pockets; just as Draco did, with a well practiced, silent, wandless <em>accio<em>.  
>Shops contained different species of food, turning the nose of every passer-by. The two were held against the flow whenever someone ahead had stopped, forcing them to stand still and listen to what the nearest vendor had to offer.<br>"Would you like anything?" Draco asked Hermione, passing her some stolen bread and cheese as she gazed upon a jewelry stand.  
>"No, no," Hermione stated with a shake of her bushy head, "I'm just looking." But Draco couldn't help but note how she hadn't taken her eye off the ring nearest to them, despite having hold of a necklace from the other side.<br>"Three Thousand peso." The seller shouted to Hermione, taking the necklace out of her hands and placing it back down onto the black cotton shawl used as a tablecloth.  
>Disgruntled by the man's rude attitude, Hermione turned her head sharply and walked on, pushing past the person to her left angrily.<p>

Eating her food, Hermione eyed up the stall tables from a distance before turning her eyes up ahead, to the beautiful view of the mountain. Smiling slightly, Hermione pulled out an envelope from her satchel and took out the papers inside. Through friends and contacts at the Ministry, she had managed to get in contact with Mayumi and Nenita, who were willing to put them up for the next few nights.

Tucking the address note back in the envelope, Hermione opened the folded page containing the hints for Draco's survival. She looked down at the blue ink of the once hidden words and then up at the mountain, where the ingredient added to the simple potion in her bag will change somebody's whole life.  
>"Hermione Granger, did you really rip out a page of a book?" Draco Malfoy's shocked voice came from her right shoulder, "And a library book, no doubt!" He gave a mock gasp, his hand to his mouth as he raised his eyebrows.<br>"Very funny," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as she turned around, folding the page over and placing it back in the envelope and in her bag, "We all have to break the rules sometimes."

"_Very_ Slytherin of you." He planted a kiss on her lips and found her hand again.  
>"Have you ever been abroad before?" Hermione asked, looking up at him as they continued walking, trying to find their way out of the labyrinth of bodies.<br>"Only the once, we went to Africa when I was younger. The Dark Lord sent my father on a mission or something, if I recall correctly. Either way, we weren't there very long, and I can't remember very much."  
>"Shame." Hermione could sense the topic was not to be discussed.<br>"I keep forgetting that I'm speaking their language because of that charm. I just bought something and ended up PRO-NOUN-CING EVE-ERY WO-RD LI-KE TH-IS." Draco laughed to himself, bringing Hermione towards him as a rather large man carrying a goat under his arm came from the other side, brushing against them.  
>It was only then that Hermione realised that she had walked off without Draco, and felt stupid for it.<br>"What did you buy?" She asked curiously, looking behind her at the recent stands they had passed.  
>The man pointed to her other hand, "The sandwich."<br>Hermione smiled and continued to eat, remembering it was in her hand.  
>Draco smirked to himself before suddenly falling to the floor.<p>

Hermione let out a high scream, and it took several moments for anybody to stop around them. Blood was gushing out of Draco's nose, and there was a trace of the crimson liquid at the corner of his lips.  
>Those surrounding stopped in their tracks, calling out for a medic, but Hermione could only see mouth moving. All sound had stopped. It took several seconds for Hermione to come to her senses and stop screaming; she bent down at Draco's head, his crumbled body spread out on the road like an animal caucus.<br>His eyes were rolled back into his head, his cheeks drained of colour, yet his forehead covered in new sweat.  
>Stranger's fingers covered his neck, checking his pulse, before turning him onto his back, then lifting him up, away from the crowds.<p>

* * *

><p>Hermione stood at the window, looking into yet another hospital room. Her hands were clutched to her heart and a frown sagged her face.<br>"You look like you've forgotten happiness exists," A woman in a white nurse's uniform came up to her, placing a hand on her back, "Would you like to go in to the room? To see him?"  
>Hermione nodded and shuffled slowly towards the door, before the nurse stopped her with her soft voice,<br>"Do you love him?" She asked, nodding towards Draco.  
>Hermione nodded, "Y-" Her throat was dry. She swallowed, "Yes."<br>"Then smile. Love is being alive," The nurse smiled brightly at the stranger standing in front of her, "Be alive for him."  
>Hermione attempted a smile and headed into the room, her eyes too tired to leak another tear.<p>

"Stop the world, I'm getting off." Draco joked with a raspy voice, trying his best to manage a smile, despite the effort.  
>"Oh Draco." Hermione sighed, dropping the smile the nurse told her to put on.<br>She clasped both of his damp hands in hers, forcing herself not to look at any of the tubes connecting him to machines.  
>"How long did we manage?"<br>"About half an hour." Hermione let out a shaky laugh, shaking her head.  
>"It was beautiful, there was music." Draco's smile curled more at the edges as he devoured Hermione with his eyes, the most beautiful person he had ever seen.<br>"There was." She smiled herself, nodding slightly before biting her lip, trying to stop herself from laughing.  
>"What?" Draco asked, holding out a weak arm to hold Hermione's face in his palm.<br>"Just-" Hermione shook her head, "'It was beautiful, there was music'. I just never expected such a pretty sentence to come out of Draco Malfoy's mouth."  
>"Pretty sentence?" Draco gave a questioning look, before breaking out into a grin.<p>

"Do you want to hear an even prettier sentence?" He asked her, holding on tightly to her hands.  
>"Go on…"<br>"Get the bag under the bed, it has my clothes in." He tried to lean over, but winced back in pain.  
>"That's not very pretty," Hermione joked, but reached under and pulled out the transparent bag, putting it onto the bed next to Draco's legs, "What is it you want?"<br>"Don't worry, I'll get to it," He laughed a little, "In my jeans' pocket, there's a little box, give it to me."  
>Hermione reached inside of the bag and found the trousers, then the pocket, then the box. She handed it to Draco.<br>He smiled at it and held it tightly in his closed fist, "Do you want to hear an even prettier sentence?" He asked her again.  
>"Always." She smiled, biting her lip slightly.<br>Draco used the last of his effort to open the tiny box, revealing the ring Hermione was staring at in the market.  
>"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"<p>

Hermione opened her mouth, but no sound came out.


	21. Chapter 20

Taking two steps away from the bed, Hermione then turned and quickly fled the room; her chest tightening, she didn't stop until she was out of the building.  
>Chest heaving as blood poured all around her body, Hermione stood with her back to the hospital, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.<br>'This can't be happening.' She thought to herself as she started to walk in the direction of North, (after using the /Point Me charm); she was determined to go to the top of that mountain, with Draco or without.  
>'I can't marry him, I can't marry /anyone!' The voice inside her head told her, her thoughts jumping from herself to her friends, her family, Ron. Ron was completely different, a relation all of his own-an important part of her life. She hadn't married him for a reason. She didn't want to settle down. She hadn't loved him enough to settle down.  
>But Draco was different-Draco was dying. 'That's no reason to marry someone!' Hermione reprimanded herself, trying hard to fuse her lips together as to not speak aloud.<p>

Having no idea where she was going, nor how to use the local transport, Hermione decided to use her people skills and ask someone. She showed them the address of where they were staying, and eventually, after what seemed like twenty people, a tuktuk and a whole lot of sun cream, she found her way to standing outside the gate.  
>A foot high and made of what only looked like cheap, flimsy metal-but extremely decorative-Hermione pressed her finger on the intercom on the wall.<br>"Hello?" Asked a friendly voice from the speaker.  
>"Hi," Hermione said quickly, shifting her feet slightly, "It's Hermione Granger?" She couldn't help but sound questioning as she spoke into the little white box, unsure if she had even reached the right house.<br>"Ah of course! We were expecting you yesterday." The woman sounded pleased, but didn't say another word-instead greeting her with the grand opening of the front gates.  
>"It's a long story." Hermione responded to the speaker, although she had no idea if the woman was still on the other side.<p>

The house was a smooth white, although the morning light made it look like an overcast pink. The exterior walls so different to the ones of her own; the house looked like it had been made of pure sand.  
>"Hi, I'm Nenita," the tall woman spoke as she opened the door to a flustered Hermione, "Welcome, please come in."<br>"Thankyou," Hermione stepped carefully into the house, "Sorry I'm late."  
>"No, no, it's fine-where is Mr. Malfoy?" She asked, looking behind the woman.<br>Hermione sighed, "Well, it's because of him that I'm late."

-

The two women sat at the table across from each other, a fruit bowl and two cups of tea between them.  
>"And then yesterday," Hermione spoke after a long pause, "he just collapsed as soon as we got here."<br>She bowed her head and nursed her cup silently.  
>"And now he is in hospital?" Nenita asked carefully, putting a hand on Hermione's.<br>Hermione nodded, "That's why we weren't here last night, I'm sorry if Mayumi and you were up waiting."  
>"Oh no," Nenita giggled, "We were fine."<br>"He asked me to marry him." Hermione blurted out, she didn't know why, she had hardly known Nenita an hour-but she had to tell someone. And maybe someone who didn't know her was just the person she needed.  
>"And you said no?" Nenita could sense the sadness in Hermione's eyes, she knew that was not the look of a woman newly engaged.<br>Hermione nodded, putting a hand to her face, covering her eyes as she rested her arm on the table.  
>"You have time." Nenita encouraged, her hand squeezing Hermione's.<br>"That's the thing, we don't."  
>"Pardon?"<br>"He only has a few days to live," Hermione looked up at her, "That's why we're here."  
>"You know a cure?" Nenita's hope rose into her voice and her very posture, as she visually sat up in her seat.<br>"We know of one," Hermione smiled weakly, "We need to go up Mount Victoria, for the Pitcher Plant."  
>"I have heard of it," The woman nodded, "and is it an ingredient in a potion?"<br>"Well, strangely, we just add the Eye into a potion of Essence of Dittany."  
>"Ah," Nenita smiled, "Must follow the same ingredients."<br>"Yeah." Hermione smiled, glad that one part, at least, was easy.  
>"And you have already made this? It is very rare."<br>"Working in the Ministry has it's perks," Hermione giggled, "and I happen to know the Auror Department quite well." She said slyly, not quite wanting to mention Harry.  
>"Ah." Nenita said again, nodding.<p>

"Hermione?" An unfamiliar voice called from behind her.  
>Turning around sharply, Hermione met Mayumi for the first time.<br>"Yes, hi!" Hermione said, standing up to hug the woman in front of her.  
>"How are you?" She asked, holding Hermione out at arm's length.<br>"I'm well, thankyou, yourself?"  
>"Oh never mind me," she said with a wave of the hand, "How was the journey? Nen been hospitable?"<br>It was hard not to be in awe of the woman standing in front of her, and it was probably the first time Hermione had ever been lost for words by a woman before.  
>Long glowing black hair, sweeped onto her right shoulder. Ragged cheekbones with blushed cheeks, suiting her bare jutted collarbones on her neck.<br>"Journey was fine, thankyou-portkey is never a pleasant feeling though," Hermione laughed slightly to herself, "and Nenita has been more than lovely." Hermione turned to smile at her host behind her, who was beaming at the two of them.  
>"I feel like we've been best friends our whole entire lives." Nenita smiled, watching as Mayumi dropped Hermione's arms and came around the table to meet her with a<br>kiss, causing both of them to blush more.

-

"Would you like me to see you to your room?" Mayumi asked Hermione after four bottles of wine.  
>"Yes please," Hermione smiled, nodding her head wildly, "if I can get up the stairs." She giggled.<br>"I'll hold your hand." Mayumi jumped at the challenge, giggling away as she pushed Hermione towards the hall, standing behind her as Hermione took shaky steps up to the floor above.  
>"Which one is it?" Hermione asked, slumping her body against the wall.<br>"This one," Mayumi told her without gesturing, instead pulling her hand to follow her into the second door on the right.

The two women collapsed on the bed in a fit of giggles, tripping over Hermione and Draco's bags in their drunken rush.  
>"Sorry, it's a double bed!" Mayumi sighed, lying back and spreading herself out on it.<br>"For me /and Draco?" Hermione giggled girlishly, following May's example and lying down on the bed, flipping herself around like fish out of water so her stomach was on the bed.  
>They'd left Nenita to go to bed hours ago, but they didn't care about being quiet anymore.<br>"Yeah." the woman laughed, passing on the chuckling to Hermione again.  
>"We've never shared a bed before!" The woman mock gasped, causing the other to laugh even more hysterically.<br>"Have you ever shared a bed before?"  
>"With Draco?"<br>"With anyone?"  
>The two gossiped in hushed voices now.<br>"Yes." Hermione giggled girlishly, her hand on her mouth.  
>"Have you ever done this before?"<br>Mayumi suddenly lent into Hermione, and before she could even realise, her lips were on hers-just for a split second-and then they were gone.  
>"Done that with Draco? Or with you?" The woman pouted, confused but giddy.<br>"With me?" May laughed, placing a finger on Hermione's pouted lips.  
>Confused, Hermione bit her lip slightly, her eyebrows creased in the middle.<br>"No." She settled on, bringing her head to meet Mayumi's, and before either of them could change their course of action, their lips had met in an exchange and the transaction was made.

They pulled away sharply together, suddenly sobering, shocked to find how their hands had roamed and their lips raw.  
>"I'm sorry." Mayumi gasped, pulling well away from the woman.<br>At a loss for words, Hermione just sat gaping at the other woman, her eyes suddenly uncontrollably filling with tears.  
>"Did I tell you he asked me to marry him?" She whispered, tracing her lips with her fingers.<br>Without a word, the other woman wrapped her arms around her and pulled her towards her, resting Hermione's head on her shoulder as she was rocked to sleep.

-

Only having a slight remembrance of last night's events, Hermione wasn't surprised to wake up alone as soon as the first light had streamed through the laced curtained windows.  
>Noticing what she didn't last night, was the small traditional writing desk in the far corner of the room, the type with a lift up top lid to hide snacks (or as they were used in Hogwarts). Upon the desk was a small note, which, begrudgingly, Hermione had to up to reach.<br>In poorly written English, the note, from Nenita, told her that Draco had rang from the hospital to say he had discharged himself and would be waiting for her. The note didn't say /where he would be waiting. Typical Draco.  
>Next to the paper was a small vial filled with brown liquid, which Hermione swallowed immediately and her head felt automatically lighter.<p>

With no time like the present, as Hermione knew how she had to leave to get to the mountain before it got to midday, when the sun would be highest and the mountain the hottest, the woman dissaparated as soon as her teeth were brushed.

Arriving at the hospital in seconds, Hermione asked at the A&E reception if Draco Malfoy had been self-discharged, to which the answer was yes, against doctor's wishes.  
>"And where is he waiting?" She asked, as he clearly wasn't outside.<br>"He left about an hour ago," The receptionist replied curtly, turning her attention to the line of people behind her, "Next!"  
>Hermione left the desk puzzled, but seeing the time, knew that Draco would have to wait. She needed to get to the base of that mountain.

Buying a map from the hospital shop, Hermione found Mount Victoria pretty easy to see-but getting there may be a problem.  
>Getting another expensive taxi-on-a-bike back to where she was staying, Hermione picked up her heavy rucksack and started her long journey.<br>To be fair, the base wasn't that far from the house itself, but Hermione allowed herself the luxury of another lift-knowing she needed her legs for the hike up hill.

The transport here was completely new to her, although nothing she hadn't seen before-bizarrely in London. Her messy, unwashed hair leaving her scalp itchy as it danced about in the humid wind as she sped past (pedal power) endless blocks of houses and rows upon rows of palm trees.  
>The journey ended soon and she paid her fair, haggling the price down only slightly. In truth, she didn't really care-hopefully, this would be her last day here. If she found Draco, that was.<p>

And sure enough, just as she turned around to spy the base of the great mountain, her eyes met Draco's, standing more than a hundred meters away.  
>"I've been waiting for hours!" He called out to her, using his copper hands around his mouth to enhance his tired voice.<br>"I went to the hospital, looking for you!" She called back, slightly angry.  
>"I left this morning!" He replied, making no effort to come towards her.<br>"I gather!" She mused, hitching the heavy bag onto her back as she walked closer to the man.

The mountain started with greenery. Large trees hung over the man made path, welcoming those who dared venture the steep climb which would turn more dangerous with every step. The colours of green and brown would transfer to white and black, the smooth pathways contorting into rocky mounds. Bitter cold would only add to the isolation the mountain had to offer upon its towering climb- not even the smallest of creatures would dare sneak too high for fear of never coming back down.  
>But Draco and Hermione had only just begun their climb into this new world.<p>

"Have you thought any more about my offer?" Draco asked, looking at the ground at his feet as they heaved themselves up.  
>"Draco, we're not even together!" Hermione said, exasperated.<br>"Well..?" He carried on, waiting for an answer.  
>"Well what?"<br>"Well will you /at least be my girlfriend?" He asked, sounding bored.  
>"That's no way to ask me!" Hermione let out a sound that was half way between a laugh and a sigh.<br>Stopping in his tracks, Draco reached out and picked a flower from the ground-the smallest one he could find below him.  
>He gave the flower to Hermione, who looked down at it in the palm of her hand with bewilderment.<br>"Hermione Jean Granger," Draco started, folding Hermione's fingers over the flower, "This is one of the thousands of flowers on this mountain," He gestured around him, but his eyes fixed on Hermione's, "But there isn't a single one identical. You may find one that looks perfectly the same, but you'll never find one that means as much to me as the one you hold right now in your hand. Why? Because that one belongs to you."  
>Draco stepped towards Hermione, as her stomach buzzed and whizzed around like a broken light bulb,<br>"Hermione Jean Granger" Draco, without looking away, brushed her fingers to prise open her fist and reached for the delicate flower, pale blue in petal, and placed it behind her ear in one swift movement, his hand then finding it's way to rest on her cheek. "Will you do me the honour of-"  
>"Yes." Hermione blurted out, although her voice was not much more of a whisper.<br>"You don't know what I was going to ask."  
>"I have a fair good idea," Hermione lent in for a kiss, her lips brushing against Draco's as his hand snaked it's way to her hip, pulling her in closer, their kiss becoming harder under the beating sun.<br>Finally pulling away, smirking, Hermione held his hand in hers, "Where's the ring then?" She asked excitedly, nibbling her bottom lip slightly.  
>"Oh, I-" Draco was only asking her to be his girlfriend, but there was nothing in him that was going to tell him that; maybe on their wedding day. The accidental proposal. Not that he hadn't already asked...<br>Hermione was searching his eyes expectantly, as he made no movement to get it, "Draco?" She poked, bringing him back from his shock.  
>"Oh yes, I-Sorry." He reached behind him into his behind pocket, and fished out the tiny box.<br>With all his effort, grimacing only slightly, Draco Malfoy bent down on the messy grass of the mountain side on one knee, and held Hermione Granger's hand in his, as he gently teased the engagement ring onto her finger, tears swimming in his eyes.


	22. Chapter 21

A.N: I took a gamble with the last chapter, I admit. I know it went in the opposite direction that I would have wanted feedback wise, and I certainly hope I can make it up to you all with this chapter. Apologies to anyone I have disappointed.

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><p>"I thought I had my life all planned out, Mr. Malfoy." Hermione smiled, bringing him to his feet, his arm resting on hers, his thing, white hand digging into the crease of her elbow.<br>"Don't we all." The man smiled, standing upright with a tight smile spread across his face.  
>"I can't help but think we skipped a stage," Hermione held a smile to match Draco's, which neither of them lost as they knotted together in an embrace, their smiles connecting into a kiss which seemed to last a day, both of them feeling the world turn under the soles of their shoes, their head spinning and their stomach queasy with the motion as the earth carried on turning on its axis.<br>"No-one knows we're here." Hermione said in awe, breaking away and looking out at the landscape below them.

"Do you want them to?"  
>Hermione was looking down at her ring, not listening to the man at her side, who was staring out at the vast amount of trees and hills, rolling out to greet acres of square houses, hundreds of people getting on with their chores-not even looking up to see if the volcano he was standing under had erupted.<br>"Weren't we meant to be looking for something?" Hermione giggled, coming out of her daydream, putting her ring-clad hand back by her side.  
>"Ah, yes, I believe we were." Hermione laughed slightly, spinning himself around on one foot.<br>The two of them looked up above them, the mountain stretching out wildly into the sky.  
>"How long do you think it will take to climb?" Hermione asked warily, looking at Draco's tired eyes and slim body.<br>"At least a day, maybe more?" He seemed unsure.  
>"I've never been one for heights." Hermione stated, matching his uneasy tone, turning around to look back below them. They were barely a quarter up, but the rocky surface was still suspended in the air.<br>"I love it," Draco said, placing his arm around the woman's waist, "I love being with the air. The idea of being a bird, able to take off at any moment, land anywhere-some place far away where no one will know my name…my past…" Draco faltered, trailing off, "We best get going,"

A short pang of disappointment swirled its way from Hermione's stomach to her throat as Draco moved his arm from her waist. The moment was over. A perfect capture of time was now fragmented. The cracks appearing within their glass bubble-reality seeping its way in, ready to swallow them up. Hermione wasn't quite ready for the possibility that their quest may not be fruitful.

They started moving again, the blue flower silently falling from Hermione's hair in a gentle fall, a simple breath of wind carrying it home safely.

Neither of them knew what they were looking for, only that there were only about a hundred of the flowers-right at the summit. The higher they climbed, the colder it got, the tighter the air around them got, threatening to tip them off their perch. They were just two dots on a blank canvas. Hours passed since they had gone from friends to fiancés, and neither of them had much to speak about, their own glee keeping them quiet in the only sound of their footsteps.  
>Hermione wanted nothing more than to feel the taste of his salted, fragile lips on her own, the taste of his tongue tracing the edge of her mouth. But she dared not stop incase either of them were blown away. It was an irrational fear, she knew that herself, but there was no risking it. They couldn't get this far-only a few hundred meters away from the broken curse-to fall to their deaths.<p>

"Tell me you brought food," Draco said suddenly, just as the mist was breaking away from the summit in front of them, allowing them sight to the top.  
>A loud swear word was the only response offered, along with a loud smack to the forehead.<br>"It doesn't matter," Draco laughed softly, bringing Hermione's hand from her face, "I'm too excited to eat anyway."  
>"You need your strength though." Hermione said, annoyed at herself.<br>"I just need you," He smirked, looking down at the woman before bending down and kissing the crease of her frown.  
>Hermione turned her head and allowed him to kiss her lips, before breaking away to carry on.<p>

"You saved me, you know." Draco had built himself up for the words for so long, and now finally they had come tumbling out of his mouth, rolling off his tongue without a chance to swallow them back again into the dark where they belonged. He had to force himself not to wince as soon as the words had hit the air.

"I haven't yet!" Hermione laughed slightly, before turning to look at the man, and knowing by the struggled expression on his face that he wasn't talking about the cancer.

"No, I mean…" Draco started, knowing he had to explain. He stood upon a rock and jumped off it in the same movement, trying to distract himself from looking into Hermione's eyes.  
>"You saved me from myself." He told her softly, his words bouncing lightly, but with deep meaning behind them, sadness coated around the syllables.<br>"What do you-" Hermione stopped herself, her voice hardly audible, knowing this was Draco's time to speak, un-interrupted. She swallowed hard, focusing on the upward landscape in front of her.  
>"That night-only a few seconds before I apparated into your living room in the dead of night-I was standing on a bridge." Draco paused to lick his suddenly dry lips, "The wind was hissing in my ears like lost voices calling out to me, almost trying to stop me. But I wasn't listening-not to them. It sounds stupid, but I was standing there, on a ledge, looking down at the fairy lights spread out in front of me, ready to put one foot out and…<br>I started thinking about my life. I had nothing left to live for. No family, none who wanted me anyway. No friends. No wife. I was in pain and slowly dying. No other way out, or so I thought, than to let the disease take me like a muggle or to let the earth take me like a coward.  
>I was going to take the stupid way out…" Another pause, Hermione's stomach had knotted in on itself, even though she knew the outcome, she still didn't want to hear this. Draco stood on another boulder, stopping himself on it.<br>"But then I started to think about school," He looked at her, sending a shiver running down her spine, his cold eyes looking at her for the first time since his retelling began. "I started to think about all the things I'd done. I was a bully. I hated myself," Draco gave a small snort to himself, "I started to think about Harry Potter," He shook his head slightly, "I remembered all the things I saw when I performed legilimency on him," He looked at her again, "I was up there, one foot out ready to fall, and I was thinking about Harry fucking Potter's memories as my last," He shook his head again and then a small smile appeared on his lips, he looked down at his feet and jumped down from the mound of dirt,  
>"I saw you, I saw you all," He swallowed hard, "You all looked so happy. I knew instantly that it was your house when I had first seen the image-there was a picture of you on the wall," He looked at her again, "The one on your mantle piece-with your parents,"<br>Hermione nodded, knowing the ending.  
>"I got this sort of warm feeling in my stomach, a sort of compulsion. I knew I needed to go there. Not to that memory-but to that happy place. To that room that stored that much happiness within it that it may be able to break the cold surrounding me," Draco bit his lip slightly, feeling stupid, "I don't now what I was thinking-just, magic works in mysterious ways.<br>_You don't have to explain yourself to me_, Hermione thought, but she didn't say it, "So what you said about me being your last resort…"  
>Draco suddenly blushed and bowed his head, looking sheepish, "I lied, I didn't know what else to say. I only told you that because…I don't know, I guess I didn't want you to know that I liked you. A lot. Always have."<br>"I don't know whether to be angry about performing legilimency on my best friend, or to just let that one slide." She said, not sounding angry-to Draco's relief.  
>"Just think, if I hadn't, we wouldn't have met again. And I might be…" Draco trailed off. <em>I might be dead<em>.

They both looked down, Draco focusing on the ground below him, Hermione staring intently at her ring, fitted perfectly around her finger, almost like a protection.

Their discussion had reached them to the top of the mountain, and it was only when they both looked up that they actually realised.  
>The start of the evening had approached, the cold air swallowing them within its grasp, eating away at their skin. They carried on, walking up right to the very brim of the volcano, being able to see right around the edges.<br>"Is that it?" Draco asked, pointing to a small ledge on the opposite side of the ridge, hovering dangerously above the dip of the mountain, with a large green object growing from it.  
>"I'm guessing so," Hermione replied with a small sigh, walking closer to the edge in order to look down and see if there was a plant on this side, "There's one here, but it's quite far down!"<br>Draco joined her, feet nearly touching the grove that took the mountain inwards, the drop to the plant high enough to reach if you were a giant.  
>"What should we do?" Draco asked, uncertain.<br>"We just need the eye." Hermione stated, looking down at the bright pink pod surrounded by tall, thick green leaves.  
>"Great…" Draco said, sounding sarcastic, his hands on his hips, "How do we get it?"<br>Hermione bit her lip and lowered herself onto the hardened mud ground, stretching her arm, knowing she wouldn't reach but had to try anyway.  
>"That's really not going to work." Draco sounded somewhat annoyed, and rightly so-they had been walking all day, cold despite their charms, gone without food and the tiredness was setting in, they'd got this far, but they were still no closer.<br>"How about if you hold onto me and I reach down?" Hermione suggested, looking from the plant to Draco, who looked down at her with a bewildered expression on his face.  
>"Is that safe?" Was all he could reply.<br>"You've got your wand haven't you?" Hermione asked, unable to help herself from rolling her eyes, as if it was completely obvious. Something in Draco snapped at her tone.  
>"I can do wandless magic." He retorted, getting down on the ground to hold onto her feet.<br>"Hold on tight!" She took in a deep breath and began to slowly inch herself towards the edge, her head dangling dangerously off the tip, the rest of her torso following. Back on the solid ground above her head, Draco didn't think his strength was quite up to be tested so hard. Hermione was struggling to reach, despite her lower legs being the only thing left touching anything other than thin air.  
>The blood rushed to her face as she strained her arm, her heart was pounding in her chest, she couldn't close her eyes or she'd miss it. But all she could see was the fall below her. There was no end, the pit was that deep.<br>"Get me up!" The woman suddenly screamed.  
>Draco was so surprised he almost dropped her, but managed to pull her before he let go.<br>It was quicker getting on ground than it was for her to be suspended, but it didn't seem fast enough for her. She could still see the endless drop spread before her.  
>"Are you alright?" Draco asked, concerned.<br>"Yeah." Hermione nodded, letting out a shaky breath.  
>He pulled Hermione into an embrace, which she melted into, happy to be able to sitting on the ground and doing so. She couldn't imagine what Draco would have seen as he was standing on a bridge, ready to die.<br>She held onto him tighter, her arms interlocking around his small waist. She rested her head onto his shoulder, allowing his musty smell to fill her head, making her dizzy.  
>Draco placed his head on hers, before looking up again and briefly closing his eyes, and the opening them again with a start.<br>Draco let go of Hermione Hermione and stood up quickly, "Are you sure we can't just…hang on," the man stood up and walked towards the ridge, he got out his wand.  
>"<em>Accio <em>Pitcher Plant."  
>Hermione looked up at him, "It's not going to-"<br>Hermione's skepticism was silenced by a large ripping sound coming from below her, like something was physically being ripped out of the earth itself. As soon as Draco turned around, a green bundle in his outstretched arms, she knew that that was exactly what had happened.  
>"Do you mean we could have…" Hermione trailed off, frustration rising over her.<br>Draco started to laugh, staring down at the leaves in his hand, shaking his head. Soon, Hermione started laughing with him, great big gulps of annoyance coming out as enjoyment at their own stupidity.  
>"We've walked for half a day, and we could have just used <em>Accio<em>." Hermione shook her head, her jaw jutting out from her smile.

Draco put the plant on the ground at his feet, watching Hermione stand up and come towards him as he put his wand away. Hints of laughter still remaining in the air.  
>The woman reached down and pulled the eye of the plant from its stem, holding it carefully in her cupped hand.<br>"Where's the Dittany?" Draco asked Hermione, unable to take his eyes off the thing that would save his life.  
>"In the house," She sighed, looking down at the long path stretched ahead of them, "Nenita's." She corrected herself, after seeing Draco's shocked expression.<br>"I thought you meant back in London!" Draco gave out a sigh of relief, inching himself towards Hermione as they travelled down hill, his hand stroking hers slightly before she let got of the plant with it and held onto Draco's. A smile creeping onto both their lips at once.

As soon as they'd reached the road, Hermione could sense something was wrong. She walked slightly ahead of Draco, her arm dragged behind her, still attached to Draco's. Four houses past, and Hermione knew exactly what was wrong.  
>Their bags were sat outside the gate, waiting for them.<br>Hermione looked at Draco, who was stony faced.  
>Heart beating in her chest, Hermione pressed the intercom on the wall, scared as to what the answer will be.<br>"Hey, it's Hermione, aren't we meant to be staying another night?" Hermione rushed her words as soon as the receiver was picked up.  
>"You were <em>meant <em>to be, yes." Nenita's harsh words cut through the speaker, making Hermione wince.  
>"What's wrong?" Asked Draco from behind her, picking up the bag from the floor.<br>Hermione shushed him, pressing her face further into the metal speaker, "What's happened? Our port-key isn't until tomo-"  
>"-I'm afraid you can't stay here tonight." The woman's harsh words spat out at her.<br>"Why?" Draco and Hermione asked simultaneously.  
>It took the harsh voice a few moments to answer, "I know <em>exactly<em> what happened to you and Mayumi last night."  
>Hermione's heart sank as the memory suddenly came back to her, her cheeks burned as her stomach twisted,<br>"I-" she started, but Nenita had already hung up."

"Why? What is it?" Draco asked, confused.  
>"I think we might have to sleep in the tent tonight." Hermione sighed, picking up the other bag.<br>"What do you mean?" He asked innocently.  
>"I messed up," Hermione bowed her head, "We can't stay there tonight."<br>Draco took a step towards her, "What did you do? I'm sure it can't be that bad?"  
>"I kissed her girlfriend, Draco." Hermione didn't look up, but she could hear Draco's sharp intake of breath.<br>"Right." He replied, throwing her an awkward glance.  
>"I was drunk, I was…" Hermione trailed off, she had started to try and excuse herself, but found she didn't actually quite know what to say.<br>"You don't have to explain yourself to me." Draco said gently, bringing her towards him.  
>Suddenly, as if the weight of the day had just suddenly been put onto her, Hermione began to cry. Softly at first, but as soon as Draco had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, she was sobbing loudly.<p>

They walked towards the grassy mountainside once again, eating the previously forgotten sandwiches from the rucksack. Neither of them spoke until they had reached the first sign of grass-well, somewhere where they could camp down for the rest of the night.  
>"Here?" Draco pleaded, bending down to feel the grass below his feet, "It's quite soft."<br>"Might as well then." Hermione smiled dimly, tired too after all the walking of the day.  
>Thankfully, after unpacking the tent, it only took a flick of the wand for the material to spring into action and arrange itself into a living area.<br>"Thank fuck you packed this." Draco huffed, taking off his shoes.  
>"I was going to take it out…" Hermione looked at the ground and flowed Draco's lead, taking off her shoes before heading into the tent.<br>It was small and made of a thin sheet of plastic, the local supermarket own. No magic effects like Mr. Weasley's old one, but that's not what she needed right now anyway. A good lie down was all the two of them were craving.

"Should we do it now?" Hermione asked, the Essence of Dittany in her right hand, and the Eye of the Pitcher Plant in the left, a girlish grin on her face.  
>Draco nodded, running a hand through his hair.<br>Lighting their wands and putting them in the soft soil to cast a brighter colour on the scene, the two hurriedly crushed the plant using some of the simple equipment Hermione had brought along.

All the weeks that they had been looking, scouring over library books, crying from hospital beds, walking for hours…it had all led up to this. Draco couldn't help but allow his head to take over, allow the throb to fill his vision, his thoughts.  
>Soon, Hermione was missing the crushed plant into the potion, heating it, handing it to Draco. He took a deep breath. It had all led up to this moment. He could feel himself smiling, despite himself. He felt Hermione's lips on his, her soft hand covering his own on the cold ground.<br>He pressed the vial to his lips, closed his eyes and counted to ten. He poured the hot contents into his mouth and swallowed hard. As soon as he felt the liquid slide down his throat, he opened his eyes. He breathed in a shaky breath and broke out into a smile. The pain had gone. It was if a balloon had just popped inside his skull, but instead of causing pain, it had got rid of it.  
>Without hesitation, Draco pounced onto Hermione, rapping his arms around her and kissing her hard. They fell onto the ground together without breaking from each other. The wands fell from their resting places and cast a half shadowed glow onto their love.<p>

Within the early hours of the morning, the two slid into the thin base of the sheet barely stopping the shoots of the grass from poking themselves through.  
>"I'm sorry." Hermione said gently, turning her head to look at Draco, who had his hands behind his head, staring up at the blue ceiling.<br>"The only thing separating us from the stars is a sheet of fabric," He remarked, smiling to himself.

Hermione removed her gaze from his shadowed face and followed his sight to the dim stars, barely visible between the tent, but still there.  
>"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be alive." He replied softly, looking at her delicate face in the moonlight.<br>She smiled, turning her attention back to him and moving in closer to him. They were so exposed, right there in the middle of a foreign country, only a thin sheet of fabric separating their sleeping bodies from the outside world-but still, she felt safe as his arm came from behind his head and dropped around her shoulders, holding her close.  
>"I love you." she whispered, bending her head to rest on his chest.<br>"I love you also." He smiled and planted a kiss on her chestnut hair, before resting his head back and closing his eyes.  
>"So there really was no one else?" Hermione asked lazily, her voice heavy with sleep.<br>"No," Draco smiled, his own voice sounding hazy, "You were my first last resort."


	23. Chapter 22

_I'm telling you this because I think you ought to know, _Hermione started off her letter, not quite knowing where to begin, _Draco-Malfoy, that is, not to be confused with any other-_Cue laughter. Maybe? Hermione sighed and rubbed her temple, the quill in front of her stopped writing. _–We're engaged. Which means to say, we're in love. And I want you to be happy for me. You and Harry, I want you to be happy for me. I love you, Ron, but I love you as a friend. Nothing more. Not anymore. I hope you can understand this. I want you to be happy for us, I want nothing more than for us all to meet together and get on. For you to accept him; accept my decision. Please. _

_I love her. _Voice change. The ink had turned a different colour for the last three words. Draco walked into the threshold of the kitchen, leaning his back against the back of the door; he shared a look with Hermione.  
>He looked back at the quill, which had turned its attention onto the new speaker, <em>I promise, I will look after her. No matter what you and Po-<em>Draco stumbled on his name-_Harry think, _Draco paused and gazed over at Hermione, who was biting her lip, staring at the parchment, _I promise I will. I'm not the boy I once was, and with help with this fabulous, amazing, perfect woman, I have been able to break all the hatred in my heart and realise the world is not a conspiracy. Nothing's perfect, except for her.  
><em>Draco walked over to Hermione and placed his hands on the chair behind her, leaning over to nuzzle his face into her neck, sending shivers running through her spine.  
><em>We've had fun times, <em>Hermione started again, not allowing herself to give into Draco, _but when he proposed, it was the best moment of my life. Everything happens so much…_Hermione paused briefly_, that doesn't make sense, but it does. _  
>Draco laughed in the background, the quill made a note.<br>_Everything happens so much, but this one thing made the world stop. I know, I know I shouldn't really be telling you all of this, but I just need you to understand. To be happy for me. I've always loved you Ron, and I'll always carry on loving you. Love is being a part of someone else, and someone else being a part of you. Love is seeing past somebody's flaws and still wanting them. I hope you can understand that and learn to love Draco in your own way.  
><em>Hermione took the quill and signed the parchment, before placing it into an envelope and writing Ron's address on. She stuck on a stamp and sent Draco to he postbox. There were still some things which muggles could do without the use of magic, and Malfoy still had a lot to learn.


	24. EPILOGUE

A.N: I've had an idea for this epilogue since the middle of the fic, but it's taken me such a long time to finally gather the courage to let this one go. I'd just like to thank any readers who have stuck with me thus far, and again, I am sorry at how slow I am to update. I hope this epilogue gives a chance for new readers to enter my story and please enjoy and leave a review!

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><p>The room went silent as everyone held their breath at once. Tiny footsteps patted on a wooden floor. The keys of the piano began its first notes. The doors opened. One hundred and thirty two faces turned to look. One hundred and thirty two breaths were let out at once.<p>

Hermione lifted her chin and took a tentative step. The isle tunneled forward and for a brief second she felt sick. And then she saw him. His face, no longer pale and sick, but bright and alive. His smile, no longer weak and fragile, but beaming and enticing. Her eyes locked with his and her stomach floated to the floor. She took another step. Her father tightened his grip on her arm and she forced herself to look away and look up at him. The pride in his face was enough to bring a bubble of laughter to her throat, and they shared a smile they've shared all her life.

Another step and she looked around at the congregation. Bright pastel purples, blues and pinks littered the rows of faces, matching the flowers surrounding them. Her gaze turned again to the front of church, where her attention was filled with a small boy, dressed in a fitted suit with a tiny tie, running up towards her. Hermione smiled so wide as the boy called out to her, the words inaudible under the sound of the piano. Ginny laughed behind her as her son ran up the isle, stealing the eyes of the assembly. Hermione took another stride closer to the boy and bent down to catch him as he ran into her arms, nuzzling her nose into his soft, jet black hair. She looked up and caught Draco Malfoy with a tear running down his cheek. She let go of the boy and stood up, wanting anything to be able to run down this stupidly long isle and kiss the stupid Slytherin and marry him. Forever.

She took a deep breath and took her father's arm again, regaining herself and the feelings in her organs as everything collapsed in on itself.

By the time she allowed herself to exhale, she was close enough to see the tiny freckle just to the side of Draco's right eye. She reached out and cupped his cheek and brushed it gently, letting go of her father and holding tightly onto Draco with two hands.

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><p>The smell of flowers and sound of music led them out of the church, while the feeling of happiness followed them all the way to the ball.<p>

The bride and groom conducted the walk from the church to the castle hand in hand, as a sea of guests gathered around them, scattering around the grass field in their own worlds under the heat of the summer's day.

"I love you." Draco stated aloud, looking down at his wife. The very idea of the title exciting him all the way down to his toes.  
>"I love you also." Hermione told him, looking back up at him, their eyes meeting and sharing a thousand secrets.<br>"I'm so happy," he smiled, making her gaze switch to his lips, "I love yo-" his repeated truth interrupted as she kissed him.  
>"I know you do." She told him as she pulled away, watching his cheeks blush.<br>He held tighter onto her hand before taking the back of her dress and holding it against the wind, off from the floor.  
>"You look beautiful." He whispered, almost to himself, although he wanted her to know.<br>Hermione's smile widened but she did not reply, as she walked carefully across the field to their destination.

Ginny and Harry where a little far forward from them, Harry chasing after his two-year-old son who just couldn't stand still, Ginny laughing at the pair of them. Something in Hermione longed for her own eyes to be the woman's, in her position watching Draco and her own child…the thought was so enticing her whole body ached for the longing. Hermione nuzzled into Draco's shoulder as Ron came up behind them, slightly out of breath, the tips of his ears pink.

"I just wanted to say, 'Mione, that you look breathtaking-and Draco, you don't look too bad yourself."  
>"Why, thankyou," Draco laughed, as Ron reached up and straightened his tie. "All ready for your staring roll?"<br>"Where is your great-aunt sitting again 'Mione?" Ron asked, eyes suddenly wide.  
>"Oh my God." Hermione's own expression matched Ron's as stress absorbed her, before Ron cracked up with a laugh.<br>"No, I know, don't worry, everything's sorted. Usher Weasley is at your service." He did a bow, smirked at them both, and ran towards his sister.

"Why did we ask him again?" Draco asked out loud as the last two seconds fitted into place.  
>"Because Harry was best man, and we can't leave him out," Hermione winked at Draco, before kissing him gently.<p>

The sun was soon blocked by the shadow of the large castle looming high above them, and the perfect setting to the perfect day illuminated Hermione's insides as she looked up at the ancient building.

"Hermione?" A little girl suddenly came up at Hermione's waist, looking up at the woman in awe  
>"Yes, Sally?" Hermione asked, stooping slightly to look in the bright eyesof the young girl.<br>"Can I have your flowers?" She asked shyly, twirling the hem of her yellow dress in her fingertips.  
>Hermione smiled brightly and handed the girl the bouquet .<br>"Thankyou," she whispered softly, but before she had a chance to turn away and show off her trade, Draco bent down and picked the brightest yellow flower from the girls hands, and pushed the stem into her blonde hair, causing the girl to blush.  
>"Beautiful." Hermione told her, rubbing the top of Draco's back as he stood up again.<p>

Sally looked up at the pair as they kissed softly,  
>"One day, when I'm a lady, I hope to marry a man like you Draco." Sally beamed, before turning and stepping into the entrance hall of the castle.<br>"You're a sweetheart." Hermione told her husband, pride rising in her chest.  
>"What can I say, I have a way with the ladies." He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, as they crossed the boundary and entered through the doors.<p>

The ball room was situated in the heart of the castle, with a staircase leading up to sitting rooms along the hallways above them, overlooked by balconies where the guests danced beneath you in a swirl of colours. Drapes hung around the walls bringing a costume to the old room. Tables lined the sides of the dance-floor, with flowers made from book pages over spilling from vases. Small candles held in jam jars created shadows small gift pouches placed in front of every chair.

The reception began as soon as a waiter handed out the first glass of champagne from a silver tray, adorned with a charm to duplicate every drink. The guests swirled around the open dance-floor, before taking to their seats, directed by a proud Ron.

* * *

><p>The food had been ate and the cake cut, and the time had come for the speeches. Hermione's nerves flung to her throat as Draco stood up, a dirty piece of folded paper held tightly in his grasp.<p>

He smiled out at the audience. He gave a tentative smile, a small blush etching colour to his cheeks.

"I-" He began, stopped, and looked up at the ceiling. He breathed heavily in and out twice. A woman coughed. He opened the sheet of paper. He could feel Harry's eyes bearing into him from his side. He smiled again and looked down at the words.

"I'm writing this as I look out onto your back garden-our back garden. The birds are nesting in their little box and taking the seeds in their tiny beaks and then flying off again in the opposite direction, your hospitality forgotten as they flap their wings and move with the wind. I hope you never think I was going to do that; I hope you never thought I would use you to help me-get better and then move on. I never wanted to do that but I guess I thought I would. If I hadn't fallen in love with you all over again, I probably would have. I was a coward before you, Hermione Ganger. I was a coward who didn't know what a bus was and you saved me. You saved me from myself." Draco looks up from the page and into Hermione's eyes, getting lost in them for the longest of moments before looking back at his written words. "I sip my tea and take a bite of my biscuit-Jammy Dodger, of course. You invited me into my home despite knowing nothing about me, and if your kindness was not so great, I know I would have been out on my own once more. But I knew you'd give me a chance. I knew, I know, that despite everything you might have written about me in your books, that your heart would listen and take care of even a cockroach like me. And I'm glad I was right. Because as soon as I knew I was in trouble, your name was the first on my lips as a port of call-you were my first last resort.  
>If things had been different, if we could write our own stories, I would have been with you from the very beginning. But, as I said, I was a coward.<br>Now, I'm just thankful that we have been written to cross paths once again-and find what it really means to be in love"

"Not many people can say their wife saved their life, but I am one of the lucky few. I would never have guessed, let alone suspected that you would have gone to such great lengths for me. I don't know if I would have done the same-and any of you who know the story, I think you'd know why. I've put down my mug, half finished by now cold, and I head upstairs. I can hear you in the bathroom, singing softly to yourself a tune that hums out from your stereo in the next room. I am so filled with love in this moment, I cannot help but write it down. It seems mad to me that when I will next see these words, speaking them out loud, that I will be speaking them to the guests at our wedding day-not alone in our hallway, leaning on the banister as a table. In the two years we have shared together, such a lifetime has passed. You taught me to smile, and I found a reason other than myself to keep on living, fighting, breathing. Thankyou for not saying for saving my life. Thankyou for being my life."

He looked down at her and her beauty filled him with joy and love and every amazing emotion he was able to feel in one split second. He looked at his spectators and no longer felt judged. He sat down and placed his lips on hers and the whole room erupted with applause. He pulled away and opened his eyes, and swam into her eyes.


End file.
